Key Metrics
6.09
Heat Index-
Impact LevelMedium
-
Scope LevelNational
-
Last Update2025-09-05
Key Impacts
Positive Impacts (1)
Event Overview
The discontinuation of contextual applicant evaluation tools reflects regulatory shifts affecting admissions practices. Legal restrictions on using demographic and geographic information in application review signal heightened scrutiny over equity, data privacy, and merit assessment. Institutions and service providers face challenges in balancing fairness, transparency, and compliance with evolving legal frameworks, potentially altering traditional methods of enrollment management and consideration of applicant backgrounds.
Collect Records
College Board Ends Landscape Tool Amid New Admissions Rules
The College Board is ending its Landscape tool, which has been used by U.S. colleges since 2016 to provide context about applicants' neighborhoods and high schools. This decision comes in response to the Supreme Court's 2023 ban on race-based admissions and new state laws restricting the use of demographic or geographic data. The Landscape tool provided admissions teams with information such as the number of AP classes offered, SAT participation rates, and neighborhood income levels. The College Board is also discontinuing its race and ethnicity data tool, citing mixed feedback from colleges. The organization will develop new data tools that align with the current legal and policy environment, emphasizing its commitment to giving all students a fair opportunity to showcase their talents. The end of the Landscape tool raises concerns about how colleges will compare applicants from diverse backgrounds, as admissions officers used it to identify disparities in access to classes and activities. Equity advocates worry this change could disadvantage students from poor or rural areas, while some experts argue that it provides an opportunity for more flexible evaluation models. Following the 2023 court ruling, essays and personal stories are gaining more importance in the admissions process, and the College Board is planning new programs to address these challenges.