The Nearing End to Legacy Preference to Admissions
With the increased competitiveness of college admissions and the recent push for racial equality, legacy preference to admissions is getting called into question more intently than ever before.
What is Legacy Preference?
Legacy preference refers to the preference of applicants who are related to alumni of that university. As House of Representatives member Jamaal Bowman has stated, legacy preference is an element of systemic racism that favors the admission of white and wealthy students over many racial minorities, preventing them from having the same opportunities and potential futures.
How much does Legacy Preference actually affect admissions?
Since most universities do not wish to disclose their admissions data, it is difficult to determine exactly how much legacy preference affects admissions. However, during a trial filed against Harvard University for affirmative action, admissions data was disclosed. They found that data from 2010-2015 showed a 34% acceptance rate for applicants with legacy preference and a 6% acceptance rate for applicants without.
Have changes been put into place?
Representative Jamaal Bowman from New York is a sponsor for a bill currently in the House of Representatives that would block colleges and universities from giving preferred admission to children of donors and alumni. Additionally, some states have considered banning legacy preferences. Colorado was the first state to do so a couple of years ago. Recently, Johns Hopkins University and Amherst University have both outlawed legacy preferences for their own admissions, leading to a much higher proportion of racial minority students.
If you would like to learn more about the effects of legacy preference and the recent changes that are taking place, feel free to reach out to our knowledgeable 4S Staff.
For more information on how to increase your chances of getting into your top college choice, apply to the 4S Education Foundation’s mentorship program.
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