- The chance for a domestic student at a given academic percentile to gain admission and pay for an elite university has drastically decreased over the past fifty years due to zero-sum admissions.
- Admissions are segmented into lanes with varying odds; for example, recruited athletes have a significantly higher admission rate compared to unhooked domestic applicants.
- A counterfactual model from the Harvard trial showed that swapping race on an applicant profile could increase admission probability from 25% to 95%, indicating race-based adjustments in admissions.
- The real cost of attendance is determined through price discrimination via aid formulas, often hitting upper-middle-class families hardest due to steep marginal rates and asset assessments.