Privilege and opportunity in elite college admissions

The study linked college admissions records, tax records, SAT and ACT data to investigate who gets into selective private colleges and the consequences of attending those colleges. The findings show that kids from higher income families are admitted to these colleges at higher rates than kids from middle class families with comparable credentials. Attending these colleges can significantly impact one's chances of reaching the upper tail of society and becoming a leader. This suggests that elite colleges may be inadvertently amplifying the persistence of privilege at the top in society by admitting kids from affluent backgrounds at higher rates and channeling them to positions at the top in the next generation. The data also indicates that there is a significant advantage for individuals from the top 1% income households to get into elite schools. Additionally, the study suggests that the modern-day higher education system could be seen as an enforcer of a caste system, with data showing that individuals from affluent backgrounds are 77 times more likely to get into an elite school compared to individuals from lower income households.