Resisting The New Law To Ban Legacy Admissions

On June 29, 2023, The Supreme Court banned Affirmative Action. They declared that race cannot be a factor in the admissions process and are forcing institutions “to look for new ways to achieve diverse student bodies.” However, the Supreme Court has yet to ban Legacy Admissions. The debate on Affirmative Action has raised concerns about various admissions practices at colleges and universities.

What exactly is Affirmative Action and legacy admissions? Affirmative action refers to colleges granting special consideration to minority groups when admitting applicants into their schools. Legacy admissions refers to an advantage for applicants who have connections to alumni or their parents of alumni. Legacy Admissions, which often favor white and wealthy populations, increase applicants’ chances of being admitted to colleges or universities that deny 80% or more applicants. 

Hours after the ban on Affirmative Action, colleges and universities publicly made statements addressing their opinions on the issue and are now turning away from legacy admissions. 89%  of college admissions directors did not support the Legacy Admissions policy, and ¾ of public colleges and universities did not provide a legacy preference. 

While these issues are being discussed in current agreements, public colleges have taken positions. 

Recently, top colleges and many public universities (i.e., William & Mary, Duke, etc.) openly stated that they will continue using the legacy admissions process.

Princeton University said it “has made no changes to its policy regarding legacy admissions.”

Many other colleges, including Standford, stated, “We continue to practice our holistic review in our current admissions cycle while we assess whether changes in admissions policy should be made.” 

Other institutions that support legacy admissions claim that “legacy admissions contribute to the sense of community.” 

Statements continue to be addressed, but further changes have yet to be implemented, so the question to be asked is: Will colleges continue to support Legacy Admissions despite the ban on Affirmative Action and preferential treatment?