Legacy Admissions Under Fire: Will the Practice Survive?

The college application process is undergoing a massive transformation. Following recent legal shifts in higher education, lawmakers and student advocates are actively targeting legacy admissions. This practice gives an edge to applicants whose relatives attended a specific university. Now, mounting legislative pressure threatens to eliminate this long-standing tradition completely.

The Supreme Court Catalyst

In June 2023, the Supreme Court struck down race-conscious admissions in the case of Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. This ruling immediately shifted public attention to other preferences in the admissions process. The most prominent target became legacy admissions.

Critics argue that if universities can no longer consider race, they should not give preferential treatment to children of alumni or wealthy donors. Data from Opportunity Insights, a research group based at Harvard, showed that children from families in the top 1 percent are 43 percent more likely to be admitted to highly selective colleges than middle-class students with the exact same test scores. Much of this advantage comes from legacy preferences and athletic recruitment.

This data fueled a new wave of political action. Civil rights groups, including Lawyers for Civil Rights, filed a formal complaint with the United States Department of Education against Harvard. They argued that legacy preferences disproportionately benefit white and wealthy applicants, violating the Civil Rights Act.

State-Level Bans Leading the Charge

State governments are not waiting for federal action to change how colleges select their freshman classes. Over the past few years, several states have passed laws banning legacy preferences.

Colorado was the first state to act. In 2021, the state banned legacy admissions at all public universities. Virginia followed suit by passing a similar law that went into effect in July 2024, ensuring public institutions like the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech can no longer consider family alumni status.

Maryland took the legislation a step further. Effective July 2024, Maryland banned legacy and donor preferences at both public universities and private colleges that receive state funds.

The most significant blow to the practice happened in California. In September 2024, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1780 into law. Starting September 1, 2025, all private, nonprofit universities in California are banned from considering an applicant’s connection to alumni or donors. This law directly impacts highly selective private institutions like Stanford University, the University of Southern California (USC), and Santa Clara University. If a college violates this rule, they must disclose detailed information about the students who received preferential treatment.

Federal Bills and National Scrutiny

While state laws create a patchwork of regulations, federal lawmakers are pushing for a nationwide ban. Senator Todd Young, a Republican from Indiana, and Senator Tim Kaine, a Democrat from Virginia, introduced the Merit-Based Educational Allocation Act.

This bipartisan bill would amend the Higher Education Act to prohibit accredited universities from giving preferential treatment to children of alumni or donors. If passed, universities that fail to comply would lose access to federal student aid programs. This loss would be financially devastating for almost any higher education institution in the country.

Representative Jamaal Bowman also introduced the Fair College Admissions for Students Act in the House of Representatives. This bill proposes similar penalties for universities that continue to use legacy preferences. The bipartisan nature of these bills shows that opposition to legacy admissions crosses traditional political lines.

Universities Making Voluntary Changes

Some universities are reading the room and dropping legacy admissions voluntarily. They are choosing to update their policies before lawmakers force them to do so.

Johns Hopkins University is a leading example. The university quietly eliminated legacy preferences in 2014. According to university president Ronald Daniels, the percentage of legacy students in the incoming class dropped from 8.5 percent in 2013 to just 1.7 percent in 2021. During that same period, the number of first-generation college students and those receiving Pell Grants increased significantly.

Amherst College, a highly selective liberal arts school in Massachusetts, ended its legacy preference policy in 2021. Wesleyan University followed shortly after the Supreme Court ruling in 2023. Carnegie Mellon University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) also operate without legacy preferences. MIT has publicly stated for years that they do not consider legacy status, noting that a student must get into the university entirely on their own merits.

The Financial Argument and Donor Fears

Why do universities fight to keep legacy admissions? The primary reason is financial stability. College administrators often argue that admitting the children of alumni encourages multi-generational loyalty and philanthropic giving.

Private universities rely heavily on massive endowments to fund research, build new facilities, and offer financial aid to lower-income students. For instance, Harvard University boasts an endowment of over $50 billion. Supporters of legacy admissions argue that alienating wealthy alumni by rejecting their children could lead to a massive drop in donations.

However, recent studies challenge this fear. A report from the Century Foundation found no statistically significant relationship between legacy admissions policies and total alumni giving. Universities like Johns Hopkins and MIT continue to raise billions of dollars despite ignoring legacy status during the application process.

The practice of favoring the relatives of alumni is facing an unprecedented threat. With states like California and Maryland setting strict legal boundaries and federal lawmakers seeking nationwide bans, the era of legacy admissions appears to be coming to a close.

Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly are legacy admissions? Legacy admissions is a practice where a college or university gives an applicant an advantage because a family member (usually a parent or grandparent) previously attended the school.

Which states have banned legacy admissions? As of late 2024, Colorado, Virginia, Maryland, Illinois, and California have passed laws banning legacy preferences. Colorado, Illinois, and Virginia restrict public universities. Maryland and California restrict both public and private universities that receive state funds.

Do Ivy League schools still use legacy admissions? Yes, most Ivy League schools, including Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, still consider legacy status as part of their holistic admissions process. However, these institutions are facing intense pressure and federal civil rights investigations regarding the practice.

Will banning legacy admissions lower college tuition? There is no direct evidence that banning legacy admissions will change tuition costs. The bans are primarily focused on making the admissions process more equitable, rather than altering the core pricing structure of higher education.