Study: College policies hamper Hispanics

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NEW YORK, April 9 (UPI) -- Some Texas university admission policies are hampering Hispanics in their efforts to pursue higher education, a study indicates.

A Princeton study published online in the journal "Race and Social Problems" found despite people lauding the "Top 10 percentage law," saying it brings diversity to Texas flagship (leading research) universities, Hispanics lose out to whites under the policy.

The Top 10 percentage law guarantees admission for students who graduate in the Top 10 percent of their high school class, the study said.

Dr. Angel Harris and Dr. Maria Tienda from Princeton University studied how college enrollment for Hispanics changed after affirmative action was abandoned for the Top 10 percent law. They compared how application, admission and enrollment rates for Hispanics and whites changed under affirmative action, the no policy period and the Top 10 percent regime, the release said.

Calculations showed affirmative action or the use of racial quotas for college admissions is the most efficient policy to diversify college campuses, even in highly segregated states like Texas, the study indicated.

"Our results have profound implications that transcend admission regimes," Harris and Tienda said in a release. "Our results indicate that it is more helpful to direct attention away from the seemingly irresolvable differences about race or class-rank preferences, and instead encourage greater numbers of students to actually apply for admission. Cultivating college-going cultures at under-resourced high schools is a potential high-impact, relatively low cost, short-term strategy to raise Hispanic college application rates."

No margin of error was given.