of Ethics Online Collection: None
Self-Regulation Initiatives:
National Association of College Admission Counselors
Joint Statement of Principles of Good Practice in College Admission
and Recruitment
On September 18, 1990, the Board of Directors of ACE endorsed the revision of the 1979 Statement of Principles of Good Practice in College Admissions and Recruitment. The 1979 Statement was developed by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers (AACRAO), the College Board, the National Association of College Admission Counselors (NACAC) and the National Association of the Secondary Schools Principals (NASSP) and endorsed by ACE. A revision of the Statement by NACAC in 1989 has subsequently been endorsed by AACRAO, NASSP, the College Board, the ACE Advisory Committee on Self-Regulation Initiatives and the ACE Board of Directors. The guidelines are intended to assist secondary schools and postsecondary institutions in developing voluntary standards of ethical conduct in areas of student admission and recruitment.
Ethics in recruiting students and awarding scholarships provided the impetus for creating NACAC in 1937. As a of that major purpose, one of the first actions taken by the founders was the creation of a Code of Ethics.After many years of reviewing, updating, and rewriting, this Code is today's Statement of Principles of Good Practice.
While the Code originally applied only to NACAC members, the importance of ethical practices in the admission process for all institutions was recognized by those in the profession. As a result, a joint statement reflecting the basic philosophy and content of the NACAC Statement has been endorsed by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers, The College Board, American Council on Education, and the National Association of Secondary School Principals.
The Statement of Principles of Good Practice is reviewed annually and revised to reflect new concerns for ethical admission practices and policies.
High schools, colleges, universities, other institutions and organizations, and individuals dedicated to the promotion of formal education believe in the dignity, the worth, and the potentialities of every human being. They cooperate in the development of programs and services in postsecondary counseling, admission, and financial aid to eliminate bias related to race, creed, gender, sexual orientation, age, political affiliation, national origin, and disabling conditions. Believing that institutions of learning are only as strong ultimately as their human resources, they look upon counseling individual students about their postsecondary plans as a fundamental aspect of their responsibilities.
They support, therefore, the following Statement of Principles of Good Practice for members of the National Association of College Admission Counselors.
I. Admission Promotion and Recruitment
A. College and University Members agree that they will:
1. Ensure that admission counselors are viewed as professional members of their institutions' staffs. As professionals, their compensation shall take the form of a fixed salary rather than commissions or bonuses based on the number of students recruited.
2. Be responsible for the development of publications, written communications, and presentations, i.e., college nights, college days, and college fairs, used for their institution's promotional and recruitment activity. They will:
a) State clearly and precisely the requirements for secondary school preparation, admission tests, and transfer student admission.
b) Include a current and accurate admission calendar. If the institution offers special admission options such as early admission, early action, early decision, early notification, or waiting list, the publication should define these programs and state deadline dates, notification dates, required deposits, refund policies, and the date when the candidates must reply. If students are placed on wait lists or alternate lists, the letter which notifies the students of the placement should provide past history which describes the number of students placed on the wait lists and the number offered admission. Finally, if summer admission or mid-year admission is available, students should be made aware of the possibility in
c) Give precise information about costs, opportunities, and requirements for all types of financial aid, and state the general relationship between admission practices and policies and financial aid practices and policies.
d) Describe in detail any special programs, including overseas study, credit by examination or advanced placement.
e) Include pictures and descriptions of the campus and community which are current and realistic.
f) Provide accurate information about the opportunities/selection for institutional housing, deadline dates for housing deposits, housing deposit refunds, and describe policies for renewal availability of such institutiona housing.
g) Provide accurate and specific descriptions of any programs or support services available to stuwith handicapping conditions, learning disabilities, and/or other special needs.
h) Indicate that the institution is a NACAC member and has endorsed the principles contained in this Statement.
3. Exercise appropriate responsibility for all people whom the institution involves in admission, promotional, and recruitment activities (including their alumni, coaches, students, faculty, and other institutional representatives) and educate them about the principles outlined in this Statement. Colleges and universities which engage the services of admission management or consulting firms shall be responsible for assuring that such firms adhere to this Statement.
4. Speak forthrightly, accurately, and comprehensively in presenting their institutions to counseling personnel, prospective students, and their fammilies They will:
a) State clearly the admission requirements of their institutions, and inform students and counselors about changed admission requirements so that candidates will not be adversely affected in the admission process.
b) State clearly all deadlines for application, notification, housing, and candidates' reply requirements for both admission and financial aid.
c) Furnish data describing the currently enrolled freshman class. Describe in published profiles all members of the enrolling freshman class. Subgroups within the profile may be presented separately because of their unique character or special circumstances.
d) Not use disparaging comparisons of secondary or postsecondary institutions.
e) Provide accurate information about the use/role of standardized testing in their institutions' admission process.
5. Not use unprofessional promotional tactics by admission counselors and other institutional representatives. They will:
a) Not contract with secondary school personnel for remuneration for referred students.
b) Not contract with placement services which require a fee from the institution for each student enrolled.
c) Not encourage students to transfer if they have shown no interest in doing so.
d) Not compromise the goals and principles of this Statement.
6. Refrain from recruiting students who are enrolled, registered, or have declared their intent or submitted contractual deposit with other institutions unless the students initiate inquiries themselves or unless cooperation is sought from institutions which provide transfer programs.
7. Understand the nature and intent of all admission referral services utilized by their institutions(including their alumni, coaches, students, faculty, and other institutional representatives) and seek to ensure the validity/ professional competency of such services.
B. Secondary School Members agree that they will:
1. Provide a program of counseling which introduces a broad range of postsecondary opportunities to students.
2. Encourage students and their families to take the initiative in learning about colleges and universities.
3. Invite college and university representatives to assist in counseling candidates and their families about college opportunities.
4. Not use disparaging comparisons of secondary or postsecondary institutions.
5. Establish a policy with respect to secondary school representatives for the release of students' names. Any policy which authorizes the release of students' names should provide that the release be made only with the students' permission consistent with state law and local regulations. That permission may be a general consent to any release of the students' names. Secondary school representatives shall, in releasing students' names, be sensitive to the students' academic, athletic, or other abilities.
6. Refuse any reward or remuneration from a college, university, or private counseling service for placement of their school's students.
7. Be responsible for all personnel who may become involved in counseling students on postsecondary options available and educate them about the principles in this Statement.
8. Be responsible for compliance with state/federal regulations with respect to the students' rights to privacy.
9. Not guarantee specific college placement.
10. Give precise information about the op rtunities and requirements for all types of financial aiTO
11. Indicate that the institution is a NACAC member and has endorsed the principles in this statement.
C. Independent Counselor Members agree that they will:
1. Provide a program of counseling which introduces a broad range of postsecondary opportunities to students.
2. Encourage students and their families to take initiative in learning about colleges and universities.
3. Invite college and universitZ representatives to assist in counseling candidates and t eirfan-dlies about
4. Not use disparaging comparisons of secondary or postsecondary institutions.
5. Refuse unethical or unprofessional requests (e.g., for names of top students, names of athletes) from college or university representatives (e.g., alumni, coaches, or other agencies or organizations).
6. Refuse any reward or remuneration from a college, university, agency, or organization for placement of their clients.
7. Be responsible for all personnel who may become involved in counseling students on postsecondary options and educate them about the principles in this Statement.
8. Be responsible for compliance with state/federal regulations with respect to students' rights to privacy.
9. Not guarantee specific college placement.
10. Give precise information about opportunities and requirements for all types of financial aid.
11. Provide advertisements or promotional materials which are truthful and do not include any false, misleading, or exaggerated claims with respect to services offerecT.
12. Communicate with the school counselor about students whenever and wherever possible.
13. Consider donating time to students who need the services of an independent counselor but who are unable to pay.
14. Indicate that the NACAC member has endorsed the principles in this Statement.
D. All other members providing college admission counseling sservices to students agree to adhere to the principles in this Statement.
E. College fairs, clearinghouses, and matching services that provide liaison between collegesluniversities and students shall be considered a positive part of the admission process if they effectively supplement other secondary school guidance activities and adhere to this Statement.
II. Admission Procedures
College and University Members agree that they will:
1. Accept full responsibility for admission decisions and for proper notification of those decisions to candidates and, when possible, to their secondary schools.
2. Receive information about candidates in confidence and respect completely, consistent with federal, state, or local regulations, the confidential nature of such data.
3. Notify high school personnel when the institution's admission selection committee includes students.
4. Not apply newly-revised requirements to the disadvantage of a candidate whose secondary school courses were established in accordance with earlier requirements.
5. Notify candidates as soon as possible if they are clearly inadmissible.
6. Admit candidates on the basis of academic and personal criteria rather than financial need. This provision shall not apply to foreign nationals ineligible for federal student assistance.
7. Not require candidates or the secondary schools to indicate the order of the candidates'college or university preferences, except under early decision plans.
8. Not make offers of admission to students who have not submitted addmission applications.
9. Permit first-year candidates for fall admission to choose, without penalty, among offers of admission and financial aid until May 1. Need-based and merit-based awards are covered by this principle. Requests by colleges concerning on-campus student housing deposits are afso covered by this principle.
10. Ensure that a waiting list, if necessary, be of reasonable length and be maintained for a reasonable period of time.
11. State clearly the admission procedures for transfer students by informing candidates of deadlines, documents required, courses accepted, and course equivalency and other relevant policies.
12. Inform students and counselors about new or changed requirements which may adversely affect candidates who have met all required deadlines, deposits, and commitments according to the students' original notification from the institution.
13. Exercise their responsibility to the entire educational community.
14. Accept, for the purposes of documenting student academic records, only official transcripts in the admission or registration process which come directly from the counselinf, guidance, or registrar's offices of the institution(s) the candidate attends or has attended or from other appropriate agencies.
II. Admission Procedures
B. Secondary School Members agree that they will:
1. Provide, in a timely manner, for colleges and universities accurate, legible, and complete official transcripts for the school's candidates.
2. Provide colleges and universities with a description of the school's marking system which may include the rank in class and/or grade point average.
3. Provide a school profile which will:
a) Clearly describe special curricular opportunities (e.g., honors, Advanced Placement courses, seminars) a comprehensive listing of all courses with an explanation of unusual abbreviations and any information required for proper understanding.
b) Be a true and accurate statement with regard to test score information for all students in the represented class cohort group who participated in college admission testing.
4. Provide accurate descriptions of the candidates' personal qualities which are relevant to the admission process.
5. Report any significant changes in candidates' academic status or qualifications between the time of recommendation, consistent with federal, state, or local regulations.
6. Urge candidates to understand and discharge their responsibilities in the admission process. Candidateswill:
a) Comply with requests for additional information in a timely manner.
b) Respond to institutional deadlines and refrain from stockpiling acceptances.
c) Refrain from submitting multiple deposits or making multiple commitments.
d) Respond to institutional deadlines on housing reservations, financial aid, health records, and course prescheduling, where all or any of these areapplicable.
7. Not reveal, unless authorized, candidates' college or university preferences.
8. Advise students and their families not to sign any contractual agree~~ent with an institution without examining the provisions of the contract.
9. Exercise their responsibility to the entire educational community.
10. Counsel students and their families to file a reasonable number of applications.
11. Counsel students and their families to notify other institutions when they have accepted an adn-dssion offer.
12. Encourage students to be the sole authors of their applications and essays, and to counsel against inappropriate assistance on the part of others.
C. Independent Counselor Members agree that they will:
1. Urge candidates to recognize and discharge their responsibilities in the admission process. Candidates will:
a) Comply with requests for additional information in a timely manner.
b) Respond to institutional deadlines and refrain from stockpiling acceptances.
c) Refrain from submitting multiple deposits or making multiple commitments.
d) Respond to institutional deadlines on housing reservations, financial aid, health records, and course prescheduling, where all or any of these are applicable.
2. Not reveal, unless authorized, candidates' college or university preferences.
3. Advise students and their families not to sign any contractual agreement with an institution without examining the provisions of the contract.
4. Exercise their responsibility to the entire educational community.
5. Counsel students and their families to file a reasonable number of applications.
6. Follow the process recommended by the candidates' high school for filing college applications.
7. Encourage students to be the sole authors of their applications and essays, and to counsel against inapropriate assistance on the part of others.
D. All other members providing college admission couneliing services to students agree to adhere to the principles in this Statement.
III. Standardized College Admission Testing
Members accept the principle that fairness in testing practices should govern all institutional policies. Because test results can never be a precise measurement of human potential, members commit themselves to ractices that eliminate bias of any kind, provide equal access, and consider tests as only one measure in admission/counseling practices.
A. College and University Members agree that they will:
1. Use test scores and related data discretely and for purposes that are appropriate and validated.
2. Provide prospective students with accurate and complete information about the use of test scores in the admission process.
3. Refrain from using minimum test scores as the sole criterion for admission thereby denying certain students because of small differences in scores.
4. Use test scores in conjunction with other data such as school record, recommendations, and other relevant information in making decisions.
5. Encourage the use of all pertinent information, not just test scores, as appropriate measures of institutional rank or admission selectivity.
6. Conduct institutional research to inquire into the most appropriate use of tests for admission decisions.
7. Refrain from using tests, as they pertain to the admission of students and to the packaging of financial aid, to discriminate against students whose scores may reflect socio-economic status, race, gender, disabling conditions, and/or ethnic background.
8. Educate staff in understanding the concepts of test measurement, test interpretation, and test use so they may make informed admission decisions from the test data.
9. Counsel students to take only a reasonable number of tests and only those necessary for their postsecondary plans.
10. Maintain the confidentiality of test scores.
11. Publicize clearly policies relating to placement by tests, awarding of credit, and other policies based on test results.
12. Include in published profiles all members of the enrolling freshman class. Sub-groups within the profile may be represented separately because of their unique character or special circumstances. Clear explanations of who is included in the sub-group populations should be made.
B. Secondary School Members agree that they will:
1. Inform students about what tests they need for admission, where they may take them, and how to interpret the results in their own contexts.
2. Be sensitive to the limitations of standardized tests and counsel students with these limitations in mind.
3. Inform students about the use and validity of test scores, both for adn-dssion and as measures of potential and ability.
4. Counsel students and families on how test scores may be used in the admission process by colleges and universities.
5. Counsel students to take only a reasonable number of those tests necessary for their postsecondary plans, without regard to the impact the test results may nave on the school profile report.
6. Seek to alleviate the anxiety associated with tests by counseling students carefully and by expressing concern for the whole student, not just the college placement facet.
7. Counsel students and families about data, other than test results, that maybe submitted as part of theapplication process.
8. Counsel students about test preparation programs and inform them about alternative programs and/or approaches.
9. Release and report test scores only with students' consent.
10. Avoid comparing colleges/ universities solely on the basis of test scores.
11. Avoid undue emphasis on test scores as a measure of students'potential and ability when representing students to colleges and universities.
12. Work with other school officials and other groups to keep test results confidential and in perspective.
13. Provide a school profile which will be a true and accurate statement with regard to the test score information for all students in the represented class cohort group who participated in college admission testing.
C. Independent Counselor Members agree that they will:
1. Inform students about what tests they need for admission, where they may take them, and how to interpret the results in their own contexts.
2. Be sensitive to the lin-dtations of standardized tests and counsel students with these limitations in mind.
3. Inform students about the use and validity of test scores, both for admission and as measures of potentialand ability.
4. Counsel students and families on how test scores may be used in the admission process by colleges and universities.
5. Counsel students to take only a reasonable number of tests and only those necessary for their postsecondary plans.
6. Seek to alleviate the anxiety associated with tests by counseling students carefully and by expressing concern for the whole student, not just the college placement facet.
7. Counsel students and families about data, other than test results, that may be submitted as part of the application process.
8. Counsel students about test preparation programs and inform them about alternative programs and/or approaches.
9. Release and report test scores only with students' consent.
10. Avoid comparing colleges/universities solely on the basis of test scores.
11. Avoid undue emphasis on test scores as a measure of students' potential and ability when representing students to colleges and universities.
12. Work with other school officials and other groups to keep test results confidential and in perspective.
IV. Financial Aid
A.Member institutions are encouraged to support the principle of distributing financial aid-funds on the basis of proven financial need. No-need scholarship funds should not in any way reduce the total amount of funds available to students with demonstrated need.A. College and University Members agree that they will:
1. Offer financial aid to candidates in the form of scholarships, grants, loans, or employment, either alone or in combination.
2. Strive, through their publications and communications, to provide students, families, and schools with factual information about their institutions' costs, aid opportunities, programs, and practices.
3. View financial aid from colleges, universities, and other sources as supplementary to the efforts of students' families when the students are not self-supporting.
4. Employ methods in determining the financial contribution of candidates' families, which assess ability to pay in a consistent and equitable manner, such as those developed by the College Scholarship Service, the American College Testing Program, and ot-Ker needs analysis services.
5. State clearly to candidates for admission the total yearly cost of attending the institutions, and report to students seeking financial aid an estimate, after documentation, of the amount of aid which may be available to them.
6. Permit first-year candidates for fall admission to choose, without penalty, among offers of financial aid until May 1. Both need-based and merit-based awards are covered by this principle.
7. State clearly policies on renewal of financial aid.
8. Not publicly announce the amount of need-based aidawarded to candidates; however, amounts of no-need scholarship awards may be a matter of public record.
9. Not use financial need as a consideration in selecting students. This provision shall not apply to foreign nationals ineligible for federal student assistance.
10. Notify accepted aid applicants of institutional financial aid decisions before the date by which a reply must be made to the offer of admission, assuming all forms are in on time.
11. Meet, to the extent possible within the institutions' capabilities, the full need of accepted students.
12. Make awards to students who apply for renewal of financial aid by reviewing their current financial and establishing the amount of aid needed.
13. Not make financial aid awards to students who have committed to attend other institutions unless the students initiate such inquiries.
14. Not make financial aid awards to students who have not submitted admission applications.
15. Refrain from withholding financial aid awards until the awards from the students other college choices have been announced.
16. Refrain from changing the financial aid awards to match those of the students' other college choices.
B. Secondary School Members agree that they will:
1. Refrain, in public announcements, from giving the amounts of financial aid received by individual students; however, amounts of no-need scholarship awards may be a matter of public record.
2. Advise students who have been awarded financial aid by non-collegiate sources that they have the responsibilityto notify the college of the type and amount of suc~ outside aid.
3. Provide adequate opportunity within the school for all able students to receive special recognition for their accomplishments, thus making it unnecessary for colleges and universities to provide such honorary recognition through their financial aid programs.
4. Not guarantee financial aid or scholarship awards.
C. Independent Counselor Members agree that they will:
1. Refrain, in public announcements, from giving the amounts of financial aid received by individual students;however, amounts of no-need scholarship awards maybe a matter of public record.
2. Advise students who have been awarded financial aid by non-collegiate sources that they have the responsibility to notify the college of the type and amount of such outside aid.
3. Not guarantee financial aid or scholarship awards.
D. All other members providing college admission counseling services to students agree to adhere to the principles in this Statement.
V. Advanced Standing Students and the Awarding of Credit
A. College and University Members agree thaty will:
1. Design placement, credit, and exemption policies to augment educational placement oppportunities, not to recruit students.
2. Evaluate student competency through the use of validated methods and techniques.
3. Define and publish in the institutions' preadmission information the policies and procedures for granting credit.
4. Evaluate previously earned credit, published by the admitting college or university, in a manner which ensures the integrity of academic standards as well as the principle of fairness to the students.
B. Secondary School Members agree that they will:
1. Alert students to the full im lications of college and university placement, credit, and exemption policies with regard to their educational planning and goals.
2. Make students aware of the importance of accreditation.
3. Make students aware of the possibilities of earning credit through both nontraditional educational experiences and examinations and alternative methods of instruction.
C. Independent Counselor Members agree that they will:
1. Alert students to the full implications of college and university placement, credit, exemption policies with regard to their educational planning and goals.
2. Make students aware of the importance of accreditation.
3. Make students aware of the possibilities of earning credit through both nontraditional educational experiences and examinations and alternative methods of instruction.
D. All other members providing admission counseling services to students agree to adhere to the principles in this Statement.
Revised October, 1990
American Council on Education
One Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C. 20036
