Why does the book only talk about highly selective schools?
Race-sensitive admissions are only a subject of debate at schools that are academically selective and therefore must pick and choose among large numbers of well-qualified candidates on the basis of some range of criteria. The vast majority of colleges and universities in the country accept all qualified applicants. Only 20 to 30 percent of all undergraduate institutions receive more applications than they have places in the entering class (p 15). Thus, it is primarily at the most selective undergraduate institutions and professional schools that race plays a role in admissions, and thus sparks controversy. The College and Beyond (C&B) database used in this study includes 28 colleges and universities that are roughly representative of the sector of higher education in which the debate over admissions policies at the undergraduate level is the most intense. From a methodological standpoint, there are great advantages in working with a set of schools that are similar enough to permit in-d
