@momrath , I admit that this is a difficult thing to substantiate based on admission statistics, because colleges do not release the figures that would be necessary to make the determination.
But just in terms of my own thinking, I tend to think of the presence of Pathway programs as a proxy for the willingness to allot space in undergraduate programs to somewhat-less-qualified internationals who can pay full fare. (This in contrast to the institutions where the only way standards are relaxed at all is for recruited athletes and/or legacy/donor applicants.)
It’s not that I think there’s anything wrong with these programs, especially when the premise is to bolster the English skills of otherwise-qualified applicants. But a closer look shows that many of the Pathway programs are marketed explicitly, not just to students who need language study, but to students with academic weaknesses as well.
Now, it may be that this alternate route is the only way in for less-than-stellar international applicants, and that the normal application process is every bit as competitive for internationals as for domestic applicants, or more so. But in my mind, if the institution is building or subcontracting whole programs for the purpose of attracting foreign dollars, it would stand to reason that the regular admissions process might also tip in favor of borderline applicants who offer those same dollars. Not to any egregious extent, I’m sure… just akin to what the UC system does with high-paying, out-of-state applicants; there’s simply a higher level of competition for in-state spots because of the lower price point, resulting in a small but measurable difference in stat averages. Just on the face of it, there’s no reason I can think of why that would not be the case for at least some subset of the colleges that rely on full-pay international dollars from 20% or more of their students, in order to balance their books and maintain the level of need-based and merit aid that they provide to domestic applicants. I guess I could be wrong; I just don’t see why I would be.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/01/04/colleges-create-pathways-for-foreign-students/8swya1bsYkxfKKPOL2p4DL/story.html#comments
https://www.kaplanpathways.com/universities/
https://www.internationalstudent.com/pathway/pathway-programs-to-consider/