UCT Admissions Policy Proposals

QUICK SUMMARY

• Overview of the current policy• Successes and challenges of current

policy• Proposed hybrid model• the implications of applying the hybrid

model to the 2013 applicant pool• Myths to be dispelled

Background

–Stage 1 (policy): (for each programme)

– Set race targets to increase diversity – Set minimum academic threshold

• Stage 2 (procedure): – All applicants self classify and allocated to

race categories. – Ranked by marks. Top # selected.

Current Policy

• Selects students with top potential from all groups – recognised that marks not reliable measure of merit

• Historically it was fair – race aligned with disadvantage (black people mostly poor and poor schooling, vs white)

• Made progress in most areas of diversity• Most black students would not have been

admitted in absence of affirmative action

Some consequences of current policy

Fundamental dilemma:

Do we de-racialise SA society by using race as the basis of redress, aiming to benefit communities racially defined and

not primarily individual fairness

(i.e. UCT’s current policy)

OR

Do we advance to a non-racial society by avoiding race classification, treating people equitably as individuals rather

than by virtue of their membership of a race group - no preferential treatment based just on race

Proposed policy represents a balance of the two

Criticism of current system

• Changing access to schools means many black students now don’t need affirmative action to be selected

• Increasing unfairness: students with same socioeconomic and educational background treated differently because of race

• Some misrepresent their race or can’t be classified in ‘New SA’

Changed circumstances permit adaptation of policy

The Hybrid Model

Admission type

Band AHigh achievers by

marks alone

Band BMerit based on

marks weighted for disadvantage

Band CTarget based: Faculty

specific criteria to achieve redress

targets

Proportion of class

Average 15% About 60% Typically less than 25% (except health sciences)

Criteria

NSC or combination of NSC and NBT

NSC7 or Combination NSC & NBT score increased by up to 10% to reflect current and historical disadvantage. (Up to 20% in health sciences)

Race based (baskets), selected in descending order of marks

Through statistical analysis, we have identified the following usable indicators

• quality of school

• education of an applicant’s mother

• education level of an applicant’s father

• education level of applicant’s grandparents

• language spoken by mother at home

• financial indicators, such as whether the applicant’s family receives a social pension or child support grant.

Some criteria of disadvantage

• Award up to 10 points for disadvantage in

Home background OR School background – whichever is greater

• Home background: – based on Education of parents and grandparents (No

university education = more points)– Primary caregiver home language not English or

Afrikaans– Social grant

• School background: – School in top 10% = 0; – Increasing points until schools in bottom 70%=10

Design of Disadvantage Index

• Disadvantage index (between 0 and 10) is a percentage increase of the Faculty points score

E.g. if points = 70% and disadvantage index = 10, Then final Weighted Point Score = 70 + (10% x 70) = 77

So still merit ranking, but weighted by disadvantage

Disadvantage weighting

B COM MBBCH

Band A (Marks) 32% 9%

Band B (Disadvantage weighted score)

55% 33%

Band C (Race) 13% 58%

Total 100% 100%

Applying the Hybrid Model

• Substantial portion of class selected without regard to their race

• Flexible – Band C (race-based) enables topping up to achieve race targets

• Selects top students from disadvantaged backgrounds black and white – who may not have been selected

• Increases socio-economic diversity of class• Fairer to students who are equally privileged

Some advantages

• We are not discarding race. – Targets and monitoring are based on race– Race remains the basis for selecting a

proportion of the class – Disadvantage-weighting strongly favours those

discriminated against under apartheid

• We will increase, not decrease the number of black and coloured students

Dispelling myths