Development case

Last updated

Development cases are a set of preferences in university and college admission, particularly in college admissions in the United States, separate from merit, athletic, racial and legacy preferences, whereby applicants from wealthy families are more likely to be granted admission to selective universities based on large donations made by family. [1] [2]

Contents

The practice is not widely discussed by universities that use it, but is reported to be used by a number of top-ranked schools, Ivy League and otherwise. [3]

Definition

A development case is an application to an undergraduate institution that is set aside during the admission process for further review. In these cases, the merits of admitting a student based on their academic performance, test scores, and extracurricular activities are lowered by the donations of the applicant's family. With development cases, a student whose academic performance and test scores are not enough to merit admission might instead be dependent on the donations the applicant's family may give. [2] [4]

Mechanics

Development cases theoretically have a better chance of acceptance. While there is no universal system for acceptance or rejection from a given university, most elite universities use numerical metrics to deal with the large number of applications, and the development case label can mean a numerical advantage or a tiebreaker in these metrics. This numerical advantage is comparable to that of a star athlete or legacy applicant. [5] [6]

The number of development cases is low, which one source finds surprising. [2] Estimates range from less than 1% [5] to 5%. [6] [3] This low number is due to the decisions of the admissions director and the large amounts of money required to make a difference—in the millions of US dollars.

Notable cases

Donald Trump Jr.

Donald Trump, who is well-known to not be generous or philanthropic to third parties per bankruptcies and tax issues, donated $100,000 to the University of Pennsylvania (for the Penn Club of New York) in 1996, the same year Don Jr. '00 gained Penn admission. [7] [8]

Jared Kushner

Another highly-covered development case is Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner's Harvard College acceptance. This case is specifically named by Daniel Golden's book The Price of Admissions: How America's Ruling Class Buys Its Way Into Elite Colleges—and Who Gets Left Outside the Gates. [4] In the book, Golden highlights the 1998 donation of $2.5 million by Jared's father Charles Kushner, concluding that this donation influenced the decision-making process of the admissions committee and ensured Jared's acceptance for 1999. Golden quotes administrative officials from Jared Kushner's high school who did not believe that Kushner could be accepted on merit: "There was no way anybody in the administrative office of the school thought he would on the merits get into Harvard," a former official at The Frisch School in Paramus, NJ, told him. "His GPA did not warrant it, his SAT scores did not warrant it. We thought for sure, there was no way this was going to happen. Then, lo and behold, Jared was accepted. It was a little bit disappointing because there were at the time other kids we thought should really get in on the merits, and they did not." [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]

As Charles Kushner graduated from New York University as an undergraduate and Hofstra University and NYU with a J.D. and an M.B.A, respectively, Jared Kushner wasn't a legacy admission, [14] a more widely acknowledged as a factor in admissions decisions. Annual reports across the Ivies and beyond support the common knowledge logic that only alumni and their parents generally give back to universities (and have a reason to), especially well-funded ones. In philanthropy and general, it is highly unusual to donate anything, especially a large amount, to a university without a relationship or connection to it.

A spokesperson for Kushner Companies denied the allegation of a relationship between the gift and the admission, and stated that Charles and Seryl Kushner have donated over US$100 million to other causes, [15] related to the family and their interests, i.e. schools they’ve attended, building renamings in their hometown, and associated political candidates.

Controversy

Development cases are controversial because they influence college acceptance decisions in non-transparent ways. The use of development cases has been compared to racial and legacy preferences because large donors tend to be from non-diverse backgrounds. [3] [16] Schools and admissions officers have defended their use of development cases because admitting a few weak students who will bring in excessive donor money benefits the other students at the school. Alumni contributions are a significant part of voluntary donation, with $7.1 billion contributed in 2004–05, accounting for 28% of all voluntary support. [17] An extensive analysis of donor giving concluded that some donations were made with the hope of a higher admissions probability for a child. [18]

Daniel Golden, a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist at The Wall Street Journal with a B.A. from Harvard, is probably the most vocal writer on the topic. He has published several articles [3] [15] [19] and a book [4] on the topic. His articles have drawn responses from universities such as Duke, [16] which was specifically named in several of the articles, as well as Kushner Companies in response to Golden's addressing of Jared Kushner in the book. [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivy League</span> Athletic conference of eight elite American universities

The Ivy League is an American collegiate athletic conference, comprising eight private research universities in the Northeastern United States. The conference headquarters are in Princeton, New Jersey. The term Ivy League is typically used outside sports to refer to the eight schools as a group of elite colleges with connotations of academic excellence, selectivity in admissions, and social elitism. Its members are Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harvard College</span> Undergraduate college of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts

Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Part of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard College is Harvard University's traditional undergraduate program, offering AB and SB degrees. It is highly selective, with fewer than four percent of applicants being offered admission as of 2022.

Numerus clausus is one of many methods used to limit the number of students who may study at a university. In many cases, the goal of the numerus clausus is simply to limit the number of students to the maximum feasible in some particularly sought-after areas of studies with an intent to keep a constant supply of qualified workforce and thus limit competition. In historical terms however, in some countries, numerus clausus policies were religious or racial quotas, both in intent and function.

Charles Kushner is an American real estate developer and disbarred former attorney. He founded Kushner Companies in 1985.

Early decision (ED) or early acceptance is a type of early admission used in college admissions in the United States for admitting freshmen to undergraduate programs. It is used to indicate to the university or college that the candidate considers that institution to be their top choice through a binding commitment to enroll. Applying early decision brings a greater statistical chance of being accepted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legacy preferences</span> Preference given to applicants related to alumni

Legacy preference or legacy admission is a preference given by an institution or organization to certain applicants on the basis of their familial relationship to alumni of that institution. It is most controversial in college admissions, where students so admitted are referred to as legacies or legacy students. The practice is particularly widespread in the college admissions in the United States; almost three-quarters of research universities and nearly all liberal arts colleges grant legacy preferences in admissions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">College admissions in the United States</span> Aspect of education

College admissions in the United States refers to the process of applying for entrance to institutions of higher education for undergraduate study at one of the nation's colleges or universities. For those who intend to attend college immediately after high school, the college search usually begins in the eleventh grade with most activity taking place during the twelfth grade. Applications to many schools are due in October or November of senior year for Early Decision or Early Action, or in December or January of their senior year for Regular Decision, though the timeline may vary depending on the universities, some having an earlier deadline due to the fact that the admissions process may weigh in more on transcripts. Students at top high schools may often begin the process during their tenth grade or earlier. There are considerable numbers of students who transfer from one college to another, as well as adults older than high school age who apply to college.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jared Kushner</span> American businessman, investor, and government advisor (born 1981)

Jared Corey Kushner is an American businessman, investor, and former government official. He is the son-in-law of former president Donald Trump through his marriage to Ivanka Trump, and served as a senior advisor to Trump from 2017 to 2021. He was also Director of the Office of American Innovation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Affirmative action in the United States</span>

In the United States, affirmative action consists of government-mandated, government-approved, and voluntary private programs granting special consideration to historically excluded groups, specifically racial minorities and women. These programs tend to focus on access to education and employment in order to redress the disadvantages associated with past and present discrimination. Another goal of affirmative action policies is to ensure that public institutions, such as universities, hospitals, and police forces, are more representative of the populations they serve.

The Price of Admission: How America's Ruling Class Buys Its Way into Elite Colleges - and Who Gets Left Outside the Gates is a 2005 book by Daniel Golden, a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in journalism. The book criticizes admissions at elite American universities, including preferences given to the wealthy, children of celebrities, and legacy applicants. It also documents discrimination against Asian-Americans in the admissions process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Golden</span> American journalist

Daniel L. Golden is an American journalist, working as a senior editor and reporter for ProPublica. He was previously senior editor at Conde Nast's now-defunct Portfolio magazine, and a managing editor for Bloomberg News.

Joshua Kushner is an American businessman, heir, and investor. He is the founder and managing partner of the venture capital firm Thrive Capital, co-founder of Oscar Health, and the son of real estate developer Charles Kushner. He is the brother of Jared Kushner, son-in-law and former senior advisor to former U.S. President Donald Trump. He is a minority owner of the Memphis Grizzlies.

Steven Roth is an American real estate investor, the founder and chairman of Vornado Realty Trust, the largest commercial landlord in New York City. He is also co-founder and managing general partner of Interstate Properties, and chairman and chief executive officer of Alexander's.

Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, 600 U.S. 181 (2023), is a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States in which the court held that race-based affirmative action programs in college admissions processes violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. With its companion case, Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina, the Supreme Court effectively overruled Grutter v. Bollinger (2003) and Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978), which validated some affirmative action in college admissions provided that race had a limited role in decisions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reed Cordish</span> American real estate developer and government official (born 1974)

Reed S. Cordish is a fourth-generation American real estate developer, former professional tennis player, and former senior aide to President Donald Trump.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asian quota</span> Type of racial quota

An Asian quota is a racial quota limiting the number of people of Asian descent in an establishment, a special case of numerus clausus. It usually refers to alleged educational quotas in United States higher education admissions, specifically by Ivy League universities against Asian Americans, especially persons of East Asian and South Asian descent starting in the late 1980s. These allegations of discrimination have been denied by U.S. universities. Asian quotas have been compared to earlier claims of Jewish quotas, which are believed to have limited the admissions of a model minority from the 1910s to the 1950s. Jewish quotas were denied at the time, but their existence is rarely disputed now. Some have thus called Asian-Americans "The New Jews" of university admissions.

The University of Pennsylvania College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) is the oldest undergraduate college at the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League university, situated on the university's main campus in University City, Philadelphia. The college traces its roots to the establishment of a secondary school known as Unnamed Charity School in 1740. In 1749, Benjamin Franklin and twenty-one leading citizens of Philadelphia officially founded a secondary school named Academy of Philadelphia. In 1755, the secondary school was expanded to include a collegiate division known as College of Philadelphia. The secondary and collegiate institutions were known collectively as The academy and College of Philadelphia. The college received its charter from Thomas Penn and Richard Penn. Penn CAS is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of Pennsylvania and the sixth-oldest chartered college in the United States.

In 2019, a scandal arose over a criminal conspiracy to influence undergraduate admissions decisions at several top American universities. The investigation into the conspiracy was code named Operation Varsity Blues. The investigation and related charges were made public on March 12, 2019, by United States federal prosecutors. At least 53 people have been charged as part of the conspiracy, a number of whom pleaded guilty or agreed to plead guilty. Thirty-three parents of college applicants were accused of paying more than $25 million between 2011 and 2018 to William Rick Singer, organizer of the scheme, who used part of the money to fraudulently inflate entrance exam test scores and bribe college officials. Of the 32 parents named in a Federal Bureau of Investigation affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Boston, more than half had apparently paid bribes to have their children enrolled at the University of Southern California (USC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penn Club of New York</span> Social club in Manhattan, New York

The Penn Club of New York is an American private, social club located on Clubhouse Row in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. The club's 14-story building, which is a designated landmark, is located at 30 West 44th Street and initially was occupied by The Yale Club of New York City.

In December 2020, Jie "Jack" Zhao and former head fencing coach Peter Brand were indicted by a grand jury on accusations of conspiracy and bribery for Zhao's two sons to be accepted at Harvard University. They were accused of exchanging more than $1.5 million in bribes.

References

  1. ↑ Roman, Caitlin. "Ivy admissions prompt frenzy: Shift away from early-action programs may result in lower matriculation yield at Yale". Yale Daily News. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Hernandez, Michele A. (2009). A is for admission : the insider's guide to getting into the Ivy League and other top colleges (1st rev. ed.). New York, NY: Grand Central Pub. ISBN   978-0446540674.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Golden, Daniel. "WSJ.com - Many Colleges Bend Rules To Admit Rich Applicants". The Wall Street Journal Online. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 Golden, Daniel (2007). The price of admission : how America's ruling class buys its way into elite colleges--and who gets left outside the gates (1st pbk. ed.). New York: Three Rivers Press. ISBN   978-1400097975.
  5. 1 2 Goldstein, Zachary. "For legacies, age-old perks in admissions are still in swing". The Dartmouth. The Dartmouth. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  6. 1 2 Asch, Joseph. "Donor Admissions: How It Works Now". DartBlog. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  7. ↑ Bass, Dina (January 28, 1997). "Trump gives over $100,000 to Penn Club". The Daily Pennsylvanian .
  8. ↑ Ferre Sadurni, Luis (November 3, 2016). "Donald Trump may have donated over $1.4 million to Penn". The Daily Pennsylvanian .
  9. ↑ Gontcharova, Natalie. "Reminder: Jared Kushner Also Scammed His Way Into An Elite School With The Help Of His Parents". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  10. ↑ Nast, Condé (2019-03-13). "People Are Talking (Again) About How Jared Kushner Got Into Harvard". Vogue. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  11. ↑ Raymond, Adam K. (2019-03-12). "Jared Kushner Shows There's a Shady-Yet-Legal Way to Get Rich Kids Into College". Intelligencer. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  12. ↑ Hayes, Christal. "College admissions scam rekindles scrutiny of Kushner's Harvard acceptance, $2.5M pledge". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  13. ↑ "The Truth Behind Jared Kushner's Acceptance Into Harvard - The Beachwood Reporter". 2016-11-19. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  14. 1 2 Golden, Daniel (2016-11-18). "The Story Behind Jared Kushner's Curious Acceptance Into Harvard". ProPublica. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  15. 1 2 3 Golden, Daniel (18 November 2016). "How did 'less than stellar' high school student Jared Kushner get into Harvard?". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  16. 1 2 "Duke Discusses Admissions Issues Raised in WSJ Article". Duke Today. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  17. ↑ "The 2006-7 Almanac". Chronicle of Higher Education. p. 30. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  18. ↑ Meer, Jonathan; Rosen, Harvey S. (2009). "Altruism and the Child Cycle of Alumni Donations" (PDF). American Economic Journal: Economic Policy. 1 (1): 258–286. doi:10.1257/pol.1.1.258. JSTOR   25760034.
  19. ↑ Golden, Daniel (10 September 2006). "How Lowering the Bar Helps Colleges Prosper". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.