“Being a legacy is kind of like getting the Disney FastPass to go to the front of the line,” says Julie Park, an associate professor at the University of Maryland-College Park.

What Are Legacy Admissions?

Legacy admissions are used by many elite colleges and universities, giving preference to students with familial connections when granting admission to the school. The National Center for Education Statistics released data showing that about 32 percent of selective postgraduate institutions consider legacy affiliations and status when reviewing applications.

This includes Babson College, Barnard College, Bates College, Boston College, Brown University, Case Western Reserve University, Georgetown University, Tufts University, the United States Naval Academy, the University of Notre Dame, Washington University in St. Louis, Williams College, and Yale University.

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The History of Legacy Admissions

This process of admission was initially implemented in the 1920s as a nativist approach to keep Jewish immigrants out of elite and Protestant universities.

However, nearly a century after its introduction, its ethos is questioned. How can admission based on relation be fair in any way? The answer: It's not.

Defense from Colleges

In defense of this admissions method, colleges argue that giving children of alumni preferential treatment promotes fundraising and alumni engagement. In 2018, a Harvard committee evaluated that eliminating legacy admissions would decrease alumni funding and involvement. They also claimed that considering legacy status can help promote community and interaction within the Harvard community.

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Additionally, elite colleges claim that legacy status only accounts for a minor portion of the applied admissions criteria and that legacy students still have to meet specific admissions criteria. However, the percentage of legacy students at some of the nation's top universities shows something different.

This can be seen with:

• Harvard University: 32% of the class of 2027 are legacy students
• Dartmouth University: 11% of the class of 2027 are legacy students
• Stanford University: 14.9% of the class of 2027 are legacy students
• Cornell University: 15% of the class of 2025 are legacy students.

An Unequal Outcome for Opportunities

Each of these institutions has an acceptance rate of less than 10 percent, yet more than 10 percent of students have some alumni relations. These statistics clearly show the advantage these applicants receive in an already competitive process, contrasting the claims of equal opportunity and fairness in college admissions.

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Critics often point out that people who most benefitted from the process have historically been affluent white applicants. Additionally, states like California, Illinois, Maryland, Illinois, and Colorado have recently passed laws restricting legacy admissions. In 2023, when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of banning affirmative action at educational institutions, many also ended their legacy admissions policies. About 92 colleges stopped considering legacy status, an 18% decrease. This list includes:

• Carleton College
• Loyola Marymount University
• Occidental College
• University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
• University of Pittsburgh
• Virginia Tech
• Wesleyan University

These universities have made progress through this decision. As Forbes says, the “profoundly unfair practice of passing an admissions advantage in college admissions along family bloodlines may well be on its way to disappearing altogether from higher education thanks to a combination of legislative action and public disgust with the priorities elite colleges and universities feel the need to protect."

Final Thoughts

Banning legacy admission is a step in the right direction for the academic integrity and morals of the United States and its education system.

As we progress as a country prioritizing democracy, humanity, and fairness, we must display this in all facets. Since issues already skew the admissions process, including the lack of public school funding and private pay-for-play admissions counselors, the continuity of legacy admissions further contributes to this inequality. The practice should be banned to level the playing field. It could be another brick placed on the foundation of offering a genuine, merit-based process that prioritizes skills, effort, and talent over an inherited advantage.

Removing legacy admissions allows colleges and universities to show that they value a fair system.

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