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Poll: Americans Split On College Admissions Fairness

BOSTON (AP) - As a sweeping bribery scandal reignites the debate over college admissions, polling reveals that many Americans think universities place too much emphasis on wealth, family ties and athletic ability.

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Americans are about evenly divided on the overall fairness of college admissions, with about 4 in 10 saying it's fair and a similar share saying it's unfair. That's according to polls by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the Higher Education Analytics Center at NORC.

Many Americans believe schools consider legacy status, financial background, and donations, but few say those should be important criteria. They're most likely to say grades and standardized test scores are and should be important in admissions.

The surveys followed investigations that wealthy parents allegedly paid bribes to get their children into elite universities.

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