A new report shows that most college hopefuls who say they are of "unknown" or "other" race on their applications are actually white -- and suggests that this may impact minority enrollment.
The study, released by the California-based James Irvine Foundation, found that the number of students who check "unknown" or "other" has grown from 3.2 percent to 5.9 percent in the last decade -- and that the majority of those checking the boxes are actually white.
Though Penn officials say that the "other" box does not affect their admissions system, the report concludes that universities across the country are admitting fewer minority students than they anticipate because admissions officers assume applicants who check "other" are part of minority groups.
"The racial or ethnic composition of an institution can be distorted when there is a large unknown population," reads the December study, entitled "'Unknown' Students on College Campuses: An Exploratory Analysis." It includes data from 28 colleges and universities nationwide.
But Admissions Dean Lee Stetson says that Penn applicants rarely check "other" for their race due the large number of options offered on the application and that the University has a good idea of the makeup of its student body.
Although Stetson could not estimate the number of applicants who choose "other," he said most do check at least one race, although they can check as many as are applicable.
Approximately 35 percent of the Class of 2009 identified themselves as minority students.
"There are so many options [regarding race]. ... The option of 'other' is rarely used," Stetson said. "It is usually confusion on the part of students who tend to give heritage instead of ethnicity."
When asked if Penn takes any initiative to investigate those students who do mark "other," Stetson said that his office verifies race through contact with high school college counselors.
Those white students who do check "other" on Penn applications often cite "multiracial" as their race and specify a European background.
Nationwide, the increase in "others" may be due to "a negative reaction to affirmative action," according to Sociology professor Grace Kao, who studies race and ethnicity.
The study postulates that the increase may have occurred because white students fear that their ethnicity will work against them in the admissions process.
However, it may simply be a question of whether students identify with one race over another, according to Kao.
"We like to think that there are clear-cut lines," said Kao. "But it's fuzzy around the edges."
The foundation conducted the study to investigate diversity on college campuses.
Daniel Silverman, a spokesman for the Irvine Foundation, said the organization tackled the issue because "we saw the percentage of students checking the 'other' box and thought this was significant."
Silverman hopes that universities can "attract, retain, and graduate a diverse body of students, specifically those that are historically underrepresented," he said.
