Did identity play a role in Mamdani’s Columbia application? SAT scores raise debate
New questions have emerged surrounding New York State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani‘s college application to Columbia University, after a report revealed he identified as “Black/African American” during the admission process. The controversy has resurfaced amid the disclosure of Mamdani’s SAT score and growing political scrutiny in the lead-up to the general election.According to a report by the New York Post, Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist and the party’s mayoral nominee, scored 2140 out of a possible 2400 on the SAT, a figure considered to be on the lower end of the median range for students admitted to Columbia at the time. The revelation has fueled further debate over whether his self-identification played a role in his application during a period when the university had affirmative action policies in place.SAT score in context of admissions dataIndependent journalist Christopher Rufo, cited by the New York Post, compared Mamdani’s score to Columbia’s published data from a 2009 post, which showed that the middle 50% of admitted students scored between 2110 and 2300 across the Math, Critical Reading, and Writing sections of the SAT. While Mamdani’s score placed him within this range, it was closer to the lower end. Rufo noted that this score was likely higher than the median SAT score for Black applicants during that cycle.The New York Post reported that the application documents, which were obtained through a hack and shared with the New York Times, showed Mamdani selected both “Asian” and “Black/African American” in the race/ethnicity section of the Columbia application. Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and is of South Asian descent, told the New York Times he identified as “an American who was born in Africa,” while clarifying that he does not consider himself “African American.” He added that the application form lacked an option that accurately reflected his identity.Family ties and political falloutMamdani’s father, Mahmood Mamdani, is a professor at Columbia, according to the New York Post. Despite this connection, Zohran Mamdani was ultimately not admitted and went on to attend Bowdoin College in Maine.The controversy has drawn criticism from political opponents. New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who is running against Mamdani as an independent in the upcoming general election, condemned Mamdani’s decision. “The African American identity is not a checkbox of convenience. It’s a history, a struggle and a lived experience. For someone to exploit that for personal gain is deeply offensive,” Adams said, as quoted by the New York Post.No response from campaignAs of publication, Mamdani’s campaign has not responded to the New York Post’s request for comment regarding the leaked documents or the statements made by Adams. The story continues to draw attention as the November election approaches.TOI Education is on WhatsApp now. Follow us here.
