No more legacy leverage

1 day ago3 min read

By James Tong 2/12/2025

While millions of high school students tirelessly strive for perfect GPAs, 1600 SATs and extraordinary extracurriculars, a select few hold an edge: their last name. California's new ban on legacy admissions highlights the need for colleges to prioritize merit over heritage and end a practice that breeds inequality in the college admissions process.

California's legislation passed in September 2024 prohibits public and private colleges in the state from using legacy as a factor in admissions. The law will take effect in Sept. 2025, first affecting the high school class of 2026, and represents a significant step towards balancing the system that has long been affected by unfair influences. The legislation hopes to end legacy admissions entirely by targeting both public and private universities, although possibly difficult to manage in practice. The intentional lack of transparency in admissions systems makes enforcement of the law difficult. Although California’s decision can help direct other states and colleges to follow on and take action for fair admissions. According to the Institute for Higher Education Policy, colleges without legacy preferences enroll a wider diversity in the student body, as there is an 8% higher population of white students in colleges with legacy admissions.

Legacy admissions is the practice of bias incoming college applicants who are relatives of alumni which has been common practice in many prestigious universities for decades. The policies were originally introduced to encourage donations and create a prevailing sense of loyalty among alumni, but have now been warped into a way of preserving privilege. According to Forbes, an investigation on Harvard legacy admissions claims there is a seven times more likely acceptance for donors and six times increased acceptance for alumni families. Legacy admissions also disproportionately benefit wealthier white families who have historically dominated college enrollment by favoring applicants with familial connections. 32% of selective institutions in the US consider legacy statuses with an 8% higher number of white undergraduates, as stated by Forbes. Because of this, first-generation students and applicants of underrepresented backgrounds are put at a disadvantage. Additionally, legacy admissions have anti-Semitic roots, originally being used as a way to bar Jewish students from elite universities, as per National Geographic. This practice unfairly prioritizes connections, and even race, over an applicant’s abilities, telling students that another's heritage could beat out their hard work.

"Legacy admissions create an imbalance in factors that applicants cannot control. Grades, test scores and extracurriculars should be a greater measure of a student's success because they are genuine reflections of their accomplishments. The fact they are born to a parent accomplished enough to be admitted to a prestigious university proves nothing about them," Sophomore Rishabh Kaushikkar said.

Current legacy admission's focus on lineage creates a cycle of exclusivity that opposes equal opportunity. Acting as an unearned advantage, privileged groups are set above fair competition. For every student admitted based on legacy, another deserving applicant is denied the chance to attend their dream school because of these odds stacked against them. The Daily Princetonian states that the class of 2022 at Princeton had a legacy admission rate of 31.7%, whereas the overall decision rate was merely 5.5%, as per Top Tier Admissions. As such, the system fails to reward merit and effort and destroys the fairness in the admissions process, which is so important to high schoolers and their futures.

"A ban on legacy admissions allows more candidates to have an unbiased chance to get into a prestigious school. It is important for college decisions to be more focused on extracurriculars and the student's overall life circumstances," Freshman Nathan Tewari said.

Although a major improvement, the banning of legacy admissions is just one way inequity is part of the college decision-making process. Inclusive admissions processes could mean improvements in preventing systemic barriers, such as reconsidering reliance on standardized tests like the ACT and SAT, which have been criticized for favoring students with access to expensive preparation resources.

The American Civil Liberties Union states that only 27 of the top 100 universities have never used or have discontinued legacy admissions. Ending legacy admissions is a necessary change, and California's move should serve as a model for other states by highlighting the importance of ending biased decisions. By instead prioritizing merit, colleges can create a system that allows all students an equal opportunity to succeed.

About the Contributors

James Tong

Writer

James Tong is a writer for the school journalism. He enjoys collaborating with others and this is his first year in journalism. His hobbies include swimming, biking, hanging out with friends and listening to music.