That is one of the key findings of a new study titled “Boxed Out: Criminal History Screening and College Application Attrition.”
The study — which examined admission practices in SUNY colleges — found that nearly two-thirds of applicants who disclose a felony conviction do not complete the application process.
The rate of students “excluded” through this form of attrition is actually higher than the rate of students with felony convictions who get rejected by the colleges outright, the study found.
For students who persist in the process despite having a felony record, nearly 9 out of 10 ultimately gain admittance to a SUNY college, although the rates of admittance vary from one campus to the next, the study found.
The bottom line, according to the study’s authors, is that aspiring students with criminal records are effectively being shut out of higher education because of an onerous practice that does not make campuses any safer than they would otherwise be.
It’s often the “supplemental” information that applicants are asked to provide about their felony convictions that drives many of them away, said lead author Alan Rosenthal, advisor on special projects at the Center for Community Alternative, or CCA, which conducted the study.
