Development case
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Development cases are a set of preferences in university and college admission, particularly in college admissions in the United States, separate from merit, athletic, racial and legacy preferences, whereby applicants from wealthy families are more likely to be granted admission to selective universities based on large donations made by family.[1][2]
The practice is not widely discussed by universities that use it, but is reported to be used by a number of top-ranked schools, Ivy League and otherwise.[citation needed]
Definition
A development case is an application to an undergraduate institution that is set aside during the admission process for further review. In these cases, the merits of admitting a student based on their academic performance, test scores, and extracurricular activities are lowered by the donations of the applicant's family. With development cases, a student whose academic performance and test scores are not enough to merit admission might instead be dependent on the donations the applicant's family may give.[2][3]
Mechanics
Development cases theoretically have a better chance of acceptance. While there is no universal system for acceptance or rejection from a given university, most elite universities use numerical metrics to deal with the large number of applications, and the development case label can mean a numerical advantage or a tiebreaker in these metrics. This numerical advantage is comparable to that of a star athlete or legacy applicant.[4][5]
However, the low number of development cases is surprising.[2] Estimates range from less than 1%[4] to 5%[5][6]. This low number is due to the decisions of the admissions director and the large amounts of money required to make a difference- in the millions of US dollars.
Example
A possible development case is illustrated by Jared Kushner's Harvard acceptance. This case is specifically named by Daniel Golden's book The Price of Admissions: How America's Ruling Class Buys Its Way Into Elite Colleges - and Who Gets Left Outside the Gates.[3] In the book, Golden highlights the 1998 donation of $2.5 million by Jared's father Charles Kushner. Golden argues that this donation influenced the decision-making process of the admissions committee and ensured Jared's acceptance for 1999. Golden quotes sources from Jared Kushner's high school who did not believe that Kushner could be accepted on merit alone.
A spokesperson for Kushner Companies denied the allegation that the gift and the admission were related and pointed out that Charles and Seryl Kushner have donated over US$100 million to charitable causes.[7]
It should be noted that Jared Kushner was not a legacy admission, which is more widely acknowledged as a factor in admissions decisions. Charles Kushner graduated from New York University as an undergraduate and from Hofstra University and NYU with a J.D. and an M.B.A, respectively.
Motivations
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Development cases are used in order to secure large donations, according to admissions officials[citation needed]. The cost of denying admission to a candidate who otherwise might be admitted to make room for a development case is outweighed by the benefit of having a student from a wealthy family that made a large donation that can fund the financial aid of other students or the construction of a new facility.
Prevalence
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Most applicable top tier schools are susceptible to this practice,[citation needed] although the admissions teams typically keep the mechanics behind their process as secretive as possible. In addition to Ivy League Universities, other top-ranked universities, including Duke University, Stanford University, The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Rice University and Vanderbilt University have had their admission practices exposed by former admissions officers.[citation needed]
See also
References
- ^ Roman, Caitlin. "Ivy admissions prompt frenzy: Shift away from early-action programs may result in lower matriculation yield at Yale". YaleDailyNews. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
- ^ a b c Hernandez, Michele A. (2009). A is for admission : the insider's guide to getting into the Ivy League and other top colleges (1st rev. ed. ed.). New York, NY: Grand Central Pub. ISBN 978-0446540674.
{{cite book}}:|edition=has extra text (help) - ^ a b Golden, Daniel (2007). The price of admission : how America's ruling class buys its way into elite colleges--and who gets left outside the gates (1st pbk. ed. ed.). New York: Three Rivers Press. ISBN 978-1400097975.
{{cite book}}:|edition=has extra text (help) - ^ a b Goldstein, Zachary. "For legacies, age-old perks in admissions are still in swing". The Dartmouth. The Dartmouth. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
- ^ a b Asch, Joseph. "Donor Admissions: How It Works Now". DartBlog. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
- ^ Golden, Daniel. "WSJ.com - Many Colleges Bend Rules To Admit Rich Applicants". online.wsj.com. Wall Street Journal Online. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
- ^ Golden, Daniel (18 November 2016). "How did 'less than stellar' high school student Jared Kushner get into Harvard?". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
- "The Admissions Development Case | Ivy Coach College Admissions Blog". Ivy Coach. Ivy Coach. 21 November 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2017.