Federal categories of racial and ethnic groups — which lump students together within large groups — wind up concealing wide variations within those groups, according to a new analysis from Common App, a nonprofit that allows prospective students to apply to more than 1,000 member colleges using one application. Common App examined data from domestic first-year applicants to its member colleges between the 2013-14 and 2021-22 academic years to understand nuanced shifts in racial and ethnic groups over time.
