Nvm
As some would say, “LOL”!
Creative accounting doesn’t work with the SEC for publicly traded companies, and it shouldn’t work with college admissions marketing.
In keeping with the money theme, just my 2 cents worth.
The CDS mentions 78% yield. If that 78% yield was split up as 100% yield on persons not of color and 68% yield on persons of color, there would still be more persons of color than reported in CDS (68% * 68% + 100% * 32% = 78%). It seems that the discrepancy involves more than just yield issues.
The news story at https://www.princeton.edu/news/2021/09/01/princetons-class-2025-arrives-across-country-and-around-globe-embracing-record#:~:text=Princeton%20University%20has%20welcomed%20the,Islands%20—%20and%2058%20different%20countries. instead says “Forty-eight percent of the incoming students are U.S. citizens or permanent residents who self-identify as people of color”, for the class of 2025. 68% in one news story vs 48% in another.
I’d trust the CDS and other federal reporting, and ignore this type of press release. I’m all for publishing more detailed admission stats, but I don’t think this type of admissions press release helps anything and have no problem with Princeton’s recent decision to stop publishing them.
1 Like
I agree.
My limited point is that colleges need to be ACCURATE in what they publish, whether CDS or marketing. This is a pretty large discrepancy that you’ve highlighted.
In addition to the issue of different denominators (admitted vs. enrolled students), the comparison is complicated by the fact that at least 15% of students in the “Class of 2025 Arrives” story had deferred enrollment from the prior year. From what I’ve heard and read, this group was almost certainly disproportionately white/wealthy.
1 Like
In addition to the issue of different denominators (admitted vs. enrolled students), the comparison is complicated by the fact that at least 15% of students in the “Class of 2025 Arrives” story had deferred enrollment from the prior year. From what I’ve heard and read, this group was almost certainly disproportionately white/wealthy.
The percent “people of color” (using definition from post above), as listed in IPEDS by year is below. If the 68% vs 48% difference was primarily caused by students deferring, then we’d expect to see a huge increase in percentage students of color in the previous year’s enrolled class since a large portion of the White students are deferring. Instead we see only relatively small changes.
IPEDS Percent of “People of Color” – Freshman Class
Class of 2023 – 55% (total class is 1335, pre-COVID)
Class of 2024 – 58% (total class is 1146, many kids choose to defer and are not included)
Class of 2025 – 55%
The issue that I have with acceptance rates is that many people interpret them as a probability. Very few if any applicants have a 10% chance at a 10% acceptance rate college.
Good point – I wish I’d thought to check that.
1 Like
That’s good, because when your admission process is like an academic version of the hunger games, don’t be surprised when the most of your students are unbalanced.
There is no way to get to 68% without a lot of creative math. Maybe they included enrolled or deferrals or more likely Asians in that count, as other colleges do. If you do that, at least you get close to the 55% number in IPDES. The CDS numbers are the most reliable in these as data10 pointed out.