Out of Print — Secondhand Only
A landmark study of admissions policies for higher education — listed in The Harvard Guide to Influential Books. Available secondhand only.

Author: Robert Klitgaard
Year: 1985
Publisher: Basic Books
Topics: Elite Selection, Meritocracy, Higher Education, Admissions Policy, Affirmative Action
About This Book
How should universities choose their students? On merit alone? With preferences for race, gender, geography, or income? What do admissions policies signal about a society’s values — and what are their real consequences for individuals and institutions?
First published in 1985, Choosing Elites remains a foundational text in the study of higher education admissions policy. Rigorous, fair-minded, and ahead of its time, the book examines the theoretical and empirical dimensions of elite selection with a depth that has rarely been matched.
Listed in The Harvard Guide to Influential Books. Now out of print — secondhand copies available on Amazon.
Praise
985. Listed in The Harvard Guide to Influential Books. “One of the most comprehensive theoretical and empirical examinations ever undertaken on choosing an elite…Klitgaard’s illuminating tour de force leads the reader to understand the leading philosophies of elite selection, and he does so in the clearest and most thorough exposition yet composed on this subject”
The American Scholar
Related Work
Related themes: Elitism & Meritocracy | Education Policy
Related books: Elitism and Meritocracy in Developing Countries | Policy Analysis for Big Issues