This report examines the importance of race for college entry of blacks and whites when students' family background and standardized achievement test scores are taken into consideration. Data are from a subsample of 14,009 black and white males and females who participated in the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972. Background variables were fathers' and mothers' education, fathers' occupation, parental income, and a household index of cultural and economic resource possessions in the home. The achievement test measure represented reading, letter groups, vocabulary and math subtests. The results show that when either or both family background and achievement test scores are low, a higher percentage of blacks attend college than whites. However, when both background variables are high, racial differences in college attendance are not as great. Additional analyses also indicated that if students with high achievement test scores and/or from high family status backgrounds were granted college entrance priority, a higher percentage of whites would attend college than blacks. As a result, the racial gap in college attendance between blacks and whites would be substantially increased. The author suggests that this data should be interpreted with caution because further research is needed. (Author/JAC)