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EPI Speaker Series

Cutting through the complexity: Why not just use a lottery for college admissions?

Mar 17, 2025, 12:00-12:50 pm EDT
1230 Weill Hall
Many prominent social scientists have advocated for random-draw lotteries as a solution to the “problem” of college admissions. They argue that lotteries will be fair and equitable, eliminate corruption, reduce student anxiety, restore democratic ideals, and end debates over race-conscious admissions. In response, we simulate potential lottery effects on student enrollment by race, gender, and income, using robust simulation methods.  If we went to a lottery system, what would happen to student diversity?  And how would this change the built relationship between students and selective colleges?