It is widely assumed that admission to elite U.S. universities is based solely on academic merit—the best and brightest are admitted to Harvard, Yale, and their peer institutions as determined by test scores and GPA, and not by lineage or family income. But does reality support those expectations? Or are admissions governed by a logic that rewards socioeconomic status while disguising it as personal merit?

The Power of Privilege examines the nexus between social class and admissions at America's top colleges from the vantage point of Yale University, a key actor in the history of higher education. It is a documented history of the institutional gatekeepers, confident of the validity of socially biased measures of merit, seeking to select tomorrow's leadership class from among their economically privileged clientele. Acceptance in prestigious colleges still remains beyond the reach of most students except those from high-income professional families. Ultimately, the author suggests reforms that would move America's top schools toward becoming genuine academic meritocracies.

"The Power of Privilege is a welcome addition to the literature on elite colleges, educational stratification, and the meritocratic myth in college admissions. This is a story not just of SAT scores, but also of admissions processes that favor legacies, athletes, and nebulous qualities of leadership and character in which the interests of the wealthy and professional classes in securing advantages for their children indeed are well served! Fundamental change may be unlikely anytime soon, but Soares nevertheless advances some interesting proposals for opening the gates a bit wider." - Johns Hopkins University

"The Power of Privilege clarifies the dynamics of elite reproduction, shows how privilege and social inequality are deeply embedded in institutions, and demonstrates the important role that meritocratic schools plays in society. This book is masterful. Joseph Soares has established himself as one of the most promising social critics." - author of Justice in the United States, Professor of Sociology, University of North Carolina

"The Power of Privilege is a provocative critique of theories of meritocracy in admission decisions at elite American universities. Distinguishing between factors that influence who applies to elite schools and those that increase the odds of admission, Soares draws nuanced inferences about class reproduction. This is must reading for anyone interested in understanding admission policies and practices in elite universities." - Stanford University