A "Fast Pass" to College Access: An Evaluation of Hawaii's Direct Admissions System

• In Event: From Critical Race Theory Bans to Automatic Admissions: Examining Equity Outcomes of Policy Decisions

Abstract

Beginning with the 2020 high school cohort, the University of Hawai'i Fast Pass program provided students above specific GPA thresholds with either an invitation to apply to UH Manoa (GPA of 3.5+) or UH West O'ahu (2.7+), or a conditional offer of acceptance to UH Hilo (2.7+). Using a regression discontinuity design, we leverage student-level administrative records to estimate causal impacts of Fast Pass on students’ application and enrollment outcomes. We find Fast Pass increased the application rates of lower-GPA students by 5 percentage points and their subsequent enrollment by 8 percentage points but had no impact for higher-GPA students. This work contributes to the growing body of research on direct or proactive admissions policies and informs states considering adoption.

Authors

• Jennifer A. Delaney, University of California - Berkeley
  Presenting Author

• Taylor Kincaid Odle, University of Wisconsin - Madison
  Presenting Author