Investigating institutional influence on graduate program admissions by modeling physics Graduate Record Examination cutoff scores

Nils J Mikkelsen,Nicholas T Young,Marcos D Caballero

doi:10.1103/physrevphyseducres.17.010109

Nils J Mikkelsen, Nicholas T Young + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevphyseducres.17.010109

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Abstract

Despite limiting access to applicants from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, the practice of using hard or soft GRE cut-off scores in physics graduate program admissions is still a popular method for reducing the pool of applicants. The present study considers whether the undergraduate institutions of applicants have any influence on the admissions process by modelling a physics GRE cut-off score with application data from admissions offices of five universities. Two distinct approaches based on inferential and predictive modelling are conducted. While there is some disagreement regarding the relative importance between features, the two approaches largely agree that including institutional information significantly aids the analysis. Both models identify cases where the institutional effects are comparable to factors of known importance such as gender and undergraduate GPA. As the results are stable across many cut-off scores, we advocate against the practice of employing physics GRE cut-off scores in admissions.

Highlights

While recent studies have called into question the overreliance on Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores in physics graduate admissions [1,2], filtering applicants based on a strict or effective minimum score is still a popular practice today [3]
In her extensive review of the general practices of graduate program admissions, Inside Graduate Admissions [14], Posselt notes that most admissions measured students’ merit primarily on the basis of their undergraduate GPA (U-GPA) and GRE scores alone
Potvin et al found that 32% of physics graduate program admissions state they filter applicants with a minimum physics GRE subject test (P-GRE) score [3]

Summary

Introduction

While recent studies have called into question the overreliance on Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores in physics graduate admissions [1,2], filtering applicants based on a strict or effective minimum score is still a popular practice today [3]. The discrepancy in female, racial, and ethnic representation likely stems from a variety of factors involving admission and retention issues, many of which are rooted in cultural and structural problems including sexual harassment and systemic racism [11,12,13]. In her extensive review of the general practices of graduate program admissions, Inside Graduate Admissions [14], Posselt notes that most admissions (in the natural sciences as well as in the humanities and social sciences) measured students’ merit primarily on the basis of their undergraduate GPA (U-GPA) and GRE scores alone. Of the programs that say they do not filter applicants, several reported using a “rough cutoff” or wanting a “preferable score,” suggesting that more than 32% of programs filter applicants in practice

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