New York University will stop considering applicants’ criminal records at the outset of its admissions process,
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New York University will stop considering applicants’ criminal records at the outset of its admissions process, The Wall Street Journal reports. Admissions officers will still be able to view an applicant’s criminal history, but now only if he or she is set to be admitted to the college.
Critics of including criminal histories as part of applying to college say it disproportionately harms minority students. Last year three colleges in New York State decided to cut questions about criminal histories out of their applications, as part of an agreement with the state’s attorney general, Eric T. Schneiderman.
Mr. Schneiderman praised NYU’s decision. “Once prisoners have paid their debt, they should have every opportunity to re-enter society — and that includes seeking a higher education,” he said in a statement to the Journal.
