Chinese National Applicants’ Perceptions of the Fairness of Undergraduate Admission Methods Used by U.S. Higher Education Institutions

Abstract

This dissertation examines Chinese national applicants’ perceptions of the fairness of undergraduate admission methods widely used by selective U.S. higher education institutions (HEIs). The study uses organizational justice theory as an analytical framework to understand both general favorability reactions to individual selection methods, as well as a way to measure the extent to which these methods adhere to proposed procedural justice dimensions. Results indicate that Chinese students find English proficiency exam scores and high school transcripts as fairer selection methods than recommendation letters and essays or writing samples. Confirming previous studies of applicant perceptions, the study found that the procedural justice dimensions of face validity, scientific evidence, chance to perform, and applicant differentiation strongly correlate with general favorability. Students also decisively viewed holistic admission models as fairer selection systems when compared with systems that prioritize conventional quantitative academic data like GPA and admission test scores. As the first study to examine international applicant perspectives of higher education admissions, this study contributes to both the organizational justice and college admissions literatures.