Higher Education: Information on Minority-Targeted Scholarships (Letter
Report, 01/14/94, GAO/HEHS-94-77).

Minority-targeted scholarships--scholarships for which some form of
minority status is an eligibility criterion--have become controversial
in recent years.  Scholarships restricted to students of a specific race
or ethnicity have raised concerns over perceived reverse discrimination.
GAO found that although many schools awarded minority-targeted
scholarships, these scholarships accounted for a small proportion of
scholarships and scholarship dollars in academic year 1991-92.  Most
schools awarding minority-targeted scholarships used race or ethnicity
as an eligibility criterion; few used gender, religion, or other
minority status.  Race or ethnicity, however, was rarely the sole
criterion.  Most minority-targeted scholarships used additional
criteria, such as financial need or academic merit, for awarding funds.
Furthermore, students receiving race- or ethnicity-based
minority-targeted scholarships made up a small percentage of all racial
or ethnic minority students.  Schools funded minority-targeted
scholarships primarily through (1) private endowments and (2) income
from tuition and other fees.  Four of the six schools GAO visited used
minority-targeted scholarships to a great extent and found them valuable
in recruiting and retaining minority students.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  HEHS-94-77
     TITLE:  Higher Education: Information on Minority-Targeted 
             Scholarships
      DATE:  01/14/94
   SUBJECT:  Educational grants
             Student financial aid
             Students
             Minorities
             Eligibility criteria
             Colleges/universities
             Higher education
             Scholarship programs
             Minority education
             Disadvantaged persons

             
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