Affirmative Action and Mismatch at Selective Postsecondary Institution

This dissertation assesses the extent to which affirmative action as well as enrolling in a college that matches academic ability -- college matching -- influence six-year graduation rates for students who started college in the 2003-04 academic year. The Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Survey (BPS) was used to estimate the number of students admitted by affirmative action and explore how matching student aptitude with institutional selectivity relates to degree completion. This study reports a negative effect on degree completion for affirmative action students and for highly qualified students who attended a less selective college.