Do College Admissions Criteria Matter - Evidence from Discretionary vs. Grade-Based Admission Policies

Sep 14, 2026

Uploaded by Aditya

This paper examines how college admissions criteria shape students’ academic and non-academic performance in university and their labor market outcomes. Using a unique admissions system at a large university with two tracks—regular admission based only on academic performance and discretionary admission based on demonstrated non-academic qualities—the study compares outcomes across admitted groups. Discretionary-admitted students show similar university academic performance to marginal regular admits, yet they participate more in college activities and earn substantially higher wages up to three years post-graduation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages61

Reading Time2 h 34 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Admissions criteria and student attributes

Two selection modes: academic-only vs holistic

Global admission practices and motivation

Do College Admissions Criteria Matter? Evidence from Discretionary vs. Grade-Based Admission Policies Rais Kamis, Jessica Pan, Kelvin KC Seah * November 17, 2022 Abstract This paper examines the implications of college admissions criteria on students’ academic and non-academic performance in university and their labor market outcomes. We exploit a unique feature of the admissions system at a large university that has two admission tracks – a regular admission track where admission is based exclusively on academic performance and a discretionary admission (DA) track where applicants can instead gain admission on the basis of demonstrated non-academic qualities. Comparing students admitted through each track, we find that DA students fare similarly in terms of academic performance in university as marginal students admitted through the regular route. However, they are significantly more likely to be involved in optional academic and non-academic college activities and earn substantially higher labor market earnings up to three years after graduation. These results are not driven by the DA process differentially selecting students on the basis of family background or unobserved academic ability. Keywords: College selection; Higher education; Non-academic skills JEL Classification: I21, I23, J31 * Rais Kamis: NUS Institute of Applied Learning Sciences and Educational Technology (ALSET)([rais.kamis@nus.edu.sg](rais.kamis@nus.edu.sg)); Jessica Pan: National University of Singapore (NUS), IZA, and CEPR ([jesspan@nus.edu.sg](jesspan@nus.edu.sg)); Kelvin KC Seah: National University of Singapore and IZA ([kelvinseah@nus.edu.sg](kelvinseah@nus.edu.sg),(+65)98216137) (Corresponding author) . Address: Department of Economics, National University of Singapore, AS2 \#06-02, 1 Arts Link, Singapore 117570. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. Declarations of interest: None. I. Introduction Selective colleges and universities with capacity constraints face a choice problem. They need to decide which students to admit, among those who apply. Conceptually, one can think of each student as possessing two broad types of attributes – academic skills and nonacademic skills. Selective colleges with the aim of admitting students meritoriously would presumably like to admit those who are strong on both measures. However, they face a tradeoff, since there may be some students who are strong in terms of academic ability but somewhat weaker in terms of non-academic ability. Conversely, there may be students who are strong in terms of non-academic ability but somewhat weaker in terms of academic ability. Colleges must therefore weigh these qualities in deciding which students to admit. A college’spreference manifests in its selection criteria. Colleges are confronted with a question of how best to select students. Two common selection modes have emerged. Some colleges select students exclusively on the basis of academic performance, whereas other colleges use a combination of academic performance and demonstrated non-academic ability. In the former case, no weight is given to non-academic skills; instead, the focus is solely on whether an applicant is well prepared academically to attend college. In the latter case, non-academic qualities are given some weight. These nonacademic considerations may include, for instance, whether a student possesses certain special skills or talents, whether she has an outstanding record of extracurricular activities, or whether she can demonstrate having interests aligned with a specific choice of study. The weight given to non-academic qualities and the precise non-academic qualities considered for admission varies widely across colleges. Globally, most higher education systems rely primarily on measured academic achievement and/or general cognitive ability to admit students (Helms 2008; Edwards et al. 2012; Freema

FAQs

What question does the paper address about college admissions criteria?

The paper evaluates how admissions criteria affect students’ academic and non-academic performance in university and their labor market outcomes after graduation.

How do the two admissions tracks differ in the studied university system?

The regular track admits students based exclusively on academic performance, while the discretionary (DA) track allows applicants to gain admission using demonstrated non-academic qualities.

What are the key findings on academic performance and earnings?

DA students perform similarly academically in university to marginal regular-route admits, but they are more likely to join both optional academic and non-academic college activities and earn substantially higher labor market earnings up to three years after graduation.

Sep 14, 2026

Uploaded by Aditya