The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of selected college admissions officers regarding the most important criteria of a high school senior's application for admission into 4-year public undergraduate colleges and universities in New Jersey. The researcher surveyed admissions officers at eight 4-year public undergraduate colleges and universities in New Jersey. A total of 21 admissions officers participated in the survey. Participants were administered a Likert-scale survey that measured the weight given selected criteria contained in the application for admission to their institution. Surveys were statistically analyzed to determine the means, percentages and frequencies regarding the selected criteria.
The study provides insight into the relative weight and significance given selected criteria of the application for admission. The study revealed that public colleges and universities in New Jersey rely most heavily on standardized test scores, grade point average, class rank and honors/advanced placement courses. Less measurable criteria that may show more about the individual nature of the applicant such as community service, leadership roles, and recommendations are given far less significance.
","abstract_html":"<p>The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of selected college admissions officers regarding the most important criteria of a high school senior's application for admission into 4-year public undergraduate colleges and universities in New Jersey. The researcher surveyed admissions officers at eight 4-year public undergraduate colleges and universities in New Jersey. A total of 21 admissions officers participated in the survey. Participants were administered a Likert-scale survey that measured the weight given selected criteria contained in the application for admission to their institution. Surveys were statistically analyzed to determine the means, percentages and frequencies regarding the selected criteria.</p> <p>The study provides insight into the relative weight and significance given selected criteria of the application for admission. The study revealed that public colleges and universities in New Jersey rely most heavily on standardized test scores, grade point average, class rank and honors/advanced placement courses. Less measurable criteria that may show more about the individual nature of the applicant such as community service, leadership roles, and recommendations are given far less significance.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Getler, Lori Ann"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"M.A. in Higher Education Administration","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Educational Services and Leadership","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Sisco, Burton R."],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2007,"date_issued":"2007-06-13T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2007-06-13T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:13:40Z","subjects":["College admission officers--New Jersey; Universities and colleges--Admission","Higher Education Administration"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/778","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Sisco, Burton R."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Getler, Lori Ann"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2016-03-28T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Educational Services and Leadership"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.A. in Higher Education Administration"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["College admission officers--New Jersey; Universities and colleges--Admission","Higher Education Administration"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/778"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of selected college admissions officers regarding the most important criteria of a high school senior's application for admission into 4-year public undergraduate colleges and universities in New Jersey. The researcher surveyed admissions officers at eight 4-year public undergraduate colleges and universities in New Jersey. A total of 21 admissions officers participated in the survey. Participants were administered a Likert-scale survey that measured the weight given selected criteria contained in the application for admission to their institution. Surveys were statistically analyzed to determine the means, percentages and frequencies regarding the selected criteria.
The study provides insight into the relative weight and significance given selected criteria of the application for admission. The study revealed that public colleges and universities in New Jersey rely most heavily on standardized test scores, grade point average, class rank and honors/advanced placement courses. Less measurable criteria that may show more about the individual nature of the applicant such as community service, leadership roles, and recommendations are given far less significance.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Acceptance or denial: what matters most in college admissions"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Sisco, Burton R."],"dc:creator":["Getler, Lori Ann"],"dc:date.available":["2016-03-28T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of selected college admissions officers regarding the most important criteria of a high school senior's application for admission into 4-year public undergraduate colleges and universities in New Jersey. The researcher surveyed admissions officers at eight 4-year public undergraduate colleges and universities in New Jersey. A total of 21 admissions officers participated in the survey. Participants were administered a Likert-scale survey that measured the weight given selected criteria contained in the application for admission to their institution. Surveys were statistically analyzed to determine the means, percentages and frequencies regarding the selected criteria.
The study provides insight into the relative weight and significance given selected criteria of the application for admission. The study revealed that public colleges and universities in New Jersey rely most heavily on standardized test scores, grade point average, class rank and honors/advanced placement courses. Less measurable criteria that may show more about the individual nature of the applicant such as community service, leadership roles, and recommendations are given far less significance.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/778"],"dc:subject":["College admission officers--New Jersey; Universities and colleges--Admission","Higher Education Administration"],"dc:title":["Acceptance or denial: what matters most in college admissions"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Educational Services and Leadership"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["M.A. in Higher Education Administration"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:13:40Z"}