1. Why and How Socioeconomic Factors Should Be Used in Selective College Admissions (Philip Ballinger)
This chapter describes the socioeconomic factors pressing for consideration in selective college admissions policies and processes. It outlines the problems associated with applying traditional admission selection criteria and how doing so may exclude students coming from a low-socioeconomic background.

2. Identifying a Diverse Student Body: Selective College Admissions and Alternative Approaches (Deborah Bial, Alba Rodriguez)
This chapter explores alternative solutions for selective institutions of higher education so that they can reach beyond their traditional admissions measures and the historically narrow definition of merit. The authors present several strategies for assessing admission of unrepresented applicants who may be overlooked using traditional assessment criteria.

3. The Future of Financial Aid Leveraging (James Day)
This chapter identifies challenges facing colleges engaged in leveraging financial aid and presents four strategies that institutions might employ in the future to maintain financial viability in an increasingly competitive market.

4. Merit Aid: The Practice of Giving Money to Those Who Do Not Need It (Raymond Brown)
This chapter examines some of the salient features of merit-based student financial aid. The author discusses how scholarships have evolved over time into merit-based awarding and how merit awards are being used for a multitude of purposes.

5. Consequences of the Widening Gap Between Reality and Policy in Opportunity for Higher Education (Thomas Mortenson)
This chapter introduces the concepts of the human capital economy and the changing demography of the United States; it explores federal, state, and institutional policy choices relative to them. It points out consistent failures to address the imperatives of these concepts on the part of the federal government.

6. The Role of Standardized Tests in College Admissions: Test-Optional Admissions (Steven Syverson)
This chapter examines developments in using standardized tests in the college admission process.

7. Confronting the Commercialization of College Admissions Leadership Opportunities (Lloyd Thacker)
This essay speaks to higher education’s potential responses to challenges faced in the admissions process.

8. Annotated Bibliography (Gaurav Gupta)
This chapter offers the reader an annotated bibliography of current issues facing admission and financial aid officers. This section outlines additional readings that supplement the articles in this monograph.

INDEX