A Preliminary Analysis of African American College Students' Perceptions of Racial Preferences and Affirmative Action in Making Admissions Decisions at a Predominantly White University

The purpose of this study was to survey African American College students' perceptions of racial preferences and Affirmative Action in making admission decisions at a predominantly White university. 422 questionnaires were sent out to African American College students at a large, urban, public, comprehensive research university in the southern region of the United States. 400 questionnaires were completed for a response rate of 95%. The data revealed that a majority of the respondents felt race preferences should be used in making admission decisions at predominantly White colleges and universities. More significantly, all the respondents agreed that Affirmative Action and not a lower grade point should be used as part of university admissions decisions. (Contains 2 tables and 1 footnote.)