UNLV Admissions: Effect of the In-Person Interview on the Holistic Admissions of Minority Applicants Into The University of Nevada, Las Vegas Doctor of Physical Therapy Program

Purpose/Methods: The goal of this study is to analyze the effect of an in-person interview on the admission of minority applicants into the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Using data from the 2014-2022 admissions cycles we assessed inter-rater reliability of the interviewer’s, differences in average in-person interview score between racial groups, and compared the difference in pre-interview scores between racial groups. Results: We found that students identifying as Black scored higher on interviews than their White counterparts. However, a smaller proportion of them matriculated into the program due to the difference in multiple factors that are scored in the admissions process prior to the interview. We observed a high degree of consistency and reliability for average measures of interview scores across and between scorers (p< .001). There were significant differences in pre-interview admission scores between races with White applicants scores being significantly higher than all other groups (p< .001).