Legacy Admissions in College: All You Need to Know

You keep hearing about students with legacy status getting into top schools, so does having a parent who went there really give someone that much of an edge?

The short answer is yes. Legacy admissions give a boost to college applicants with family ties to alumni, increasing their chances of acceptance at many schools. This practice dates back decades and was originally meant to strengthen alumni support and university development.

However, today, it raises concerns about fairness and access to higher education. About 40 percent of students attend colleges that use legacy admissions, especially private and selective institutions, though some schools and states are banning the practice. This article explains how it works, which schools use or ban them, and what the future may hold.

• What Are Legacy Admissions?
• Which Colleges Have Legacy Admissions?
• The Legacy Admissions Ban
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Takeaways

What Are Legacy Admissions?

Legacy admissions give applicants with family ties to alumni special consideration during the admissions process. If your parent, grandparent, or sometimes sibling attended a college, you’re considered a legacy applicant at that school.

This tradition started decades ago to strengthen alumni connections and boost donations. Colleges believed that admitting children of graduates would keep former students engaged and generous. The goal was to build a close-knit community across generations.

But here’s where it gets complicated: as colleges push for more diverse student bodies, legacy admissions have become controversial. Critics argue the practice favors wealthy, often white families and makes it harder for first-generation students to get in. It’s a tension between honoring tradition and promoting equal opportunity, and more schools are starting to question whether legacy preferences are worth keeping.

How do legacy admissions work?

Most colleges define a legacy applicant as someone with a parent who graduated from that school. Some schools cast a wider net, including siblings, grandparents, or even more distant relatives. It depends on the institution.

When you apply, colleges typically ask about your family’s educational background on the application. If you indicate that a parent or relative attended that school, you’re flagged as a legacy applicant. Admissions offices then give your application extra attention during the review process. Some schools have dedicated committees that specifically review legacy applications, while others simply note the connection and factor it into their holistic evaluation.

The advantage of legacy status is clear in recent data. According to a study by the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP), nearly one third of selective four-year colleges in the U.S. still consider legacy status when making admissions decisions.

The family connection signals to these schools a strong alignment with the institution’s culture and a history of ongoing support from alumni families. This advantage reinforces existing educational and economic disparities, giving legacy applicants a clear upper hand in the admissions process.

Does being a legacy help college admissions?

Yes, and the data proves it. Legacy applicants get accepted at significantly higher rates than non-legacy students with similar qualifications.

At Harvard, legacy applicants are admitted at a rate approximately four times higher than non-legacy applicants with comparable academic credentials, including the same test scores. At Princeton and other Ivy League schools, legacy status can significantly boost admission chances, often increasing the likelihood of admission by a factor of three to six compared to non-legacy applicants.

Legacy preference often works alongside other factors like athletic talent, racial diversity, or financial need to construct the admitted class.

But here’s the reality: legacy status doesn’t guarantee acceptance. It’s one factor among many; academics, test scores, extracurriculars, essays, and recommendations all still matter. What legacy status does is give you a boost when decisions get competitive.

When two similarly qualified students are vying for the same spot, the one with legacy ties often has the edge. At some colleges, this advantage is especially significant if you’re a borderline candidate. Legacy status can be the factor that tips the scales in your favor.

Which Colleges Have Legacy Admissions?

Legacy admissions are most common at private universities, especially highly selective ones. According to the IHEP study, about 42 percent of selective private nonprofit four-year institutions consider legacy status, compared to 15 percent of selective public universities. This reflects differences in funding and institutional priorities.

Why the difference? It comes down to funding and mission. Private universities rely heavily on alumni donations to support financial aid, research, and campus improvements. For them, legacy admissions help maintain strong relationships with graduates who write those checks. It’s a strategy to keep alumni engaged and generous over generations.

Public universities face different pressures. They’re funded by taxpayer dollars and serve a broader mission of access and opportunity for residents of their state. That means they’re under more scrutiny to prioritize merit and diversity over family connections.

Top universities that still use legacy admissions

Here are three high-profile universities that continue legacy admissions and their approaches:

1. Harvard University

Harvard considers legacy status as one factor within its admissions process and confirmed in 2023 that it would continue reviewing legacy ties in future application cycles. A survey conducted by The Harvard Crimson estimated that about 32% of Harvard’s Class of 2027 reported some form of legacy affiliation, showing that legacy ties remain a noticeable part of the admitted class.

2. University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame also considers legacy status as one factor in its admissions process, and reports suggest that roughly 19% to 25% of each incoming class has legacy ties, one of the highest rates among selective colleges. However, the university has made it clear that legacy status alone doesn’t guarantee admission, and students are still evaluated based on their academics, activities, and overall application.

3. University of Pennsylvania

UPenn explicitly says it “appreciate[s] that attending Penn is a tradition for many families.” The university considers legacy status in admissions and defines a legacy applicant as a child or grandchild of alumni. Legacy applicants, like all students, receive comprehensive review and are evaluated based on the overall strength of their application.

Colleges that have dropped legacy preferences

Some institutions have publicly removed legacy admissions due to fairness and diversity concerns. Examples include:

1. Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins ended legacy admissions in 2021 as part of a broader commitment to increase socioeconomic diversity and equity on campus. The university recognized that legacy preferences favored applicants from wealthier, predominantly white families, which ran counter to Hopkins’ mission to serve as an engine of social mobility.

Since eliminating legacy preferences, Johns Hopkins has seen a rise in enrollment of Pell Grant recipients and students from underrepresented backgrounds, reflecting greater access for those without generational privilege.

2. Wesleyan University

Wesleyan officially ended legacy admissions in 2023, becoming one of the first elite liberal arts colleges to drop the practice. The university said legacy status had always played a minimal role in its decisions. They were already admitting students based on individual merit rather than family ties. But after the 2023 Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action, Wesleyan decided to formalize the change and eliminate legacy preferences entirely.

The goal? Ensure fairness and open doors for talented students from all backgrounds. Wesleyan still uses holistic review, looking at each applicant’s experiences, achievements, and potential, but now family connections are completely off the table.

3. Amherst College

Amherst College ended its legacy admissions preference in 2021 as part of a broader effort to expand access and affordability. The policy change was introduced alongside a new, expanded financial aid initiative designed to increase support for both lower- and middle-income families.

Since removing legacy status from admissions considerations, Amherst has emphasized evaluating applicants based on their academic achievements, potential, and contributions rather than family ties. This change reflects the college’s broader focus on equity, socioeconomic diversity, and inclusive admissions practices.

The Legacy Admissions Ban

There is growing public and political momentum toward banning legacy preferences. Critics say it favors wealthy and well-connected families, making it harder for first-generation and minority students to compete.

Legal and ethical debates focus on whether legacy admissions violate principles of fairness or equal protection. Recently, legislation has been proposed or passed in some states to restrict or outlaw legacy preferences in public universities.

States and institutions leading the ban

Several states and universities have moved to ban legacy admissions:

1. California

In February 2024, California Assembly member Phil Ting introduced AB 1780, a bill designed to prohibit colleges from considering legacy or donor preferences for applications submitted on or after January 1, 2025.

Governor Gavin Newsom later signed the bill into law, applying the ban to private, nonprofit colleges across the state. Legacy admissions had already been excluded from public universities, with the University of California ending the practice in 1998.

2. Conneticut

Connecticut lawmakers have also advanced legislation that would prohibit legacy admissions at both public and private colleges across the state. The proposal was later amended to include a ban on donor-related preferences, with State Sen. Derek Slap noting that Virginia’s earlier legacy ban helped inspire the broader language.

The bill has faced pushback from some institutions, though momentum around the issue has been growing. Wesleyan University, one of Connecticut’s selective liberal arts colleges, drew national attention after ending its legacy preference shortly after the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling.

3. Maryland

Maryland passed legislation eliminating legacy preferences at its universities, with the law signed by Governor Wes Moore and taking effect on July 1, 2024. The bill was co-sponsored by Delegate Jazz Lewis, a University of Maryland graduate who has spoken about paying for college through scholarships and music gigs.

With the new policy, Maryland became the third state to ban legacy admissions, following Colorado in 2021 and Virginia earlier in 2024.

4. New York

New York lawmakers are reviewing Senate Bill S4170A, which would ban legacy admissions at private colleges and limit certain early decision policies at both public and private institutions. The proposal is currently being considered by the state Senate’s higher education committee.

Groups like the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) say ending legacy preferences could make admissions fairer and help diversify student bodies. Debate continues over how binding early decision policies may affect access for low- and middle-income applicants.

This isn’t the first time New York lawmakers have pursued a legacy ban, though recent proposals have faced less resistance than in previous legislative sessions.

5. Massachusetts

Massachusetts lawmakers are again considering legislation that would end legacy admissions, reintroducing Bill S.928 after a similar proposal failed in a previous legislative session. The debate has drawn attention in a state home to several high-profile universities, including MIT and Harvard. While MIT doesn’t consider legacy status, Harvard does.

The future of legacy admissions

Legacy admissions may decline as more schools rethink their policies. If legacy preferences disappear, university demographics might become more diverse and equitable, alumni fundraising models could face challenges, and admissions committees may increasingly rely on broader holistic criteria.

The future is uncertain, but change seems likely as society demands greater education access and fairness.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What qualifies someone as a legacy applicant?

Most colleges define a legacy as someone with a parent who graduated from that school, though some extend it to siblings, grandparents, or other relatives. Each institution sets its own policy.

2. Why were legacy admissions introduced in the first place?

Schools created legacy preferences to maintain alumni connections and encourage donations. The practice was designed to keep graduates engaged with the university across generations.

3. How much advantage do legacy applicants really have in admissions?

Legacy applicants are often admitted at rates two to three times higher than non-legacy students with similar qualifications. At Harvard, for example, legacies are accepted at nearly twice the rate of comparable non-legacy applicants.

4. Which colleges have recently banned legacy admissions?

Johns Hopkins, Wesleyan, and Amherst have all eliminated legacy preferences in recent years. California also passed a statewide ban affecting schools like Stanford and USC starting in 2025.

5. Could legacy admissions disappear entirely in the future?

It’s possible, especially as states pass legislation and public pressure grows. However, many elite private schools still defend the practice as essential for alumni engagement and fundraising, so change may be slow.

Takeaways

• Legacy admissions give applicants with family ties to alumni a significant boost in college acceptance, especially at selective private universities.
• About 40 percent of students attend colleges that use legacy admissions. Legacy preferences are more common at private institutions, while many public universities and states are moving to ban or phase out the practice to promote equal opportunity.
• Several top universities still consider legacy status, such as Harvard, Notre Dame, and the University of Pennsylvania. Others, like Johns Hopkins, Wesleyan, and Amherst, have ended legacy preferences to increase socioeconomic diversity.
• States like California and Washington have enacted legislation banning this practice in public universities. This reflects a broader push to ensure admissions are merit-based and accessible to talented students regardless of family connections.
• If you want personal guidance and to maximize your chances at colleges that consider legacy status, consider getting a private consultation with an admissions expert who can help you develop a strong, tailored application strategy.