Holistic Admissions Linked to Diversity in Health Fields

Holistic admissions policies — in which colleges consider a candidate as an individual, and base decisions on more than a formula of grades and test scores — have long been common among undergraduate institutions, but have also gained ground in health professions admissions, according to a report released today. The report found that more than 90 percent of medical schools and nearly half of nursing bachelor’s programs are using holistic admissions. Because holistic admissions can consider such factors as a candidate’s background and disadvantaged status, these policies have generally been associated with increased diversity, and the new report finds that to be the case in health fields. Among institutions with many attributes of holistic admissions, more than 80 percent report that moving in that direction led to increased diversity in the student.