@keiekei One of the most tragic aspects of college admissions is the inability of individuals to accept that they were not accepted. Instead they seek to blame their rejection on the grounds that they are white/asian/minorities/too rich/too poor. The most selective schools would only be 40% Asian if we disregarded all factors other than test scores. But test scores aren’t all that matter. And they are the subject of major controversy.
Also, what exactly does your definition of ‘merit based’ include? Are you suggesting that background, experience, special talents etc., are not worthy? Test score are biased. They favour certain groups, so we should exclude them if we are going for this fabled perfect meritocracy.
One of the great ironies is that “meritocracy” was a term originally coined by a member of the British Labour Party. He used it to describe a dystopian future where all human traits were discounted. It is the antithesis of what American higher education has always proclaimed to champion.