UCT Admissions Policy
Proposals
QUICK SUMMARY
Background
• 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
Current Policy
– 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.
Some consequences of
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
Criticism of current system
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
Changed circumstances permit
adaptation of policy
• 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’
The Hybrid Model
Admission type
Proportion of
class
Criteria
Band A
High achievers by
marks alone
Band B
Merit based on
marks weighted for
disadvantage
Average 15%
About 60%
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)
Band C
Target based: Faculty
specific criteria to
achieve redress
targets
Typically less than 25%
(except health sciences)
Race based (baskets),
selected in descending
order of marks
Some criteria of disadvantage
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.
Design of Disadvantage Index
• 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
Disadvantage weighting
• 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
Applying the Hybrid Model
B COM
MBBCH
Band A (Marks)
32%
9%
Band B
(Disadvantage
weighted score)
55%
33%
Band C (Race)
13%
58%
Total
100%
100%
Some advantages
• 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
Dispelling myths
• 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