Video: Dominique J. Baker, Ron Lieber, and Lauren A. Rivera on University Admissions

Video is now available from our April 13, 2026 event with Dominique J. Baker, Ron Lieber, and Lauren A. Rivera, titled “Aspiring to Elitism: How the Admissions Office Remade the Corporate University.”

While early decision admissions have been around since the 1950s, the proportion of students admitted to highly selective, primarily private colleges through these programs has skyrocketed in recent years. Here at the University of Chicago, there are now no fewer than four opportunities for prospective students to apply before the regular decision round. For families, early decision presents significantly better odds that their child will receive an offer of admission; for schools, these programs raise yield rates and lock in desirable applicants.

As its usage grows, early decision is also increasingly a target of criticism. Research has consistently shown that early decision applicants skew white and affluent, with those who are unable or unwilling to risk binding commitments placed at a disadvantage. As former Department of Education official Daniel Currell argues, “Early decision forces 17- and 18-year-olds to make life-altering decisions without comparing options. It scares off middle- and lower-income households, allowing colleges to pad their budgets with full-pay students while still claiming to be need-blind. And it reinforces a cynical, transactional approach to higher education that cheapens both students and institutions.” In short, dependence on early decision policies risks narrowing the student body by emphasizing aspirations to elitism over a broader and deeper pursuit of intellectual curiosity.

Here, journalist Ron Lieber and scholars Dominique J. Baker and Lauren A. Rivera discussed recent developments in admissions practices and how they impact campus communities. 3CT fellow Jennifer Pitts moderated the discussion.