Grades Still Matter Most in Admissions

By Eric Hoover. A majority of colleges attribute little or no importance to students’ race and ethnicity or first-generation status when reviewing applications, according to survey findings released on Thursday by the National Association for College Admission Counseling. The findings, which appear in the group’s “State of College Admission 2013″ report, shed light on how various student characteristics influenced evaluations of grades, strength of curriculum, and standardized-test scores—the most important factors in admissions decisions (in order)—during the fall 2012 enrollment cycle. More...