Applying to college is painfully stressful, and it feels like a universal struggle for most students.
But the stark reality is that it isn’t – getting into college is easier for students who have connections. This process is the exact opposite of fair; if we all have to go through the heinous experience of applying to schools, shouldn’t we all have the same odds of getting in?
According to an article by US News and World Reporting, “legacy preference ” refers to the boost to a prospective student’s chances of admission if they are related to an alumnus, often a parent or grandparent.
Legacy preference puts students who come from lower income backgrounds at a severe disadvantage and rewards students whose parents were able to afford college, especially expensive colleges like the Ivy Leagues, neither of which should be considered when discussing college admissions. Most colleges consider things such as GPA, extracurricular, test scores, and letters of recommendation, all of which require some effort and are what should be looked at rather than things out of peoples control such as generational wealth and privilege.
A 2023 study from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that legacy students are far more likely to come from families in the one percent income level. And with around 88 percent of the “one percent” in the United States being white, colleges considering legacy are significantly increasing the chances of a white dominant student body. By using legacy, universities are putting students who are part of a racial minority in challenging positions with unfair chances.
Affirmative action, which allows race-conscious admissions in the name of allowing more African American and Asian students to attend college, was banned in June 2023 by the Supreme Court. For minority groups, the program was extremely important because it allowed for higher levels of diversity to exist in historically white-majority schools. Now that precedent is gone, and coupled with the practice of legacy admissions, diversity levels in colleges are looking grim.
Legacy does not automatically mean a student is accepted into a university, but it does increase chances. But how is it fair to place a student higher up on a list simply because their parents or grandparents were smart? Why shouldn’t the students who deserve the spot at the university based on GPA and extracurriculars be granted it rather than those with generational wealth and privilege?
Not all colleges consider legacy, but according to a Forbes article, within the 100 highest ranked colleges, 70 percent of private colleges gave at least some consideration to legacy and public colleges showed at least 15 percent. While 15 percent may not seem that bad for public universities, for students who are aiming for private colleges or Ivy Leagues where there are lower acceptance rates and more tense requirements – their chances of acceptance decrease even more without legacy.
According to the Colorado Department of Higher Education, Colorado public universities are no longer allowed to consider legacy in the admissions process. While this is good for Colorado and good for students planning on staying in state, this does nothing for students who plan on going out of state for college. Maryland, Virginia, and California have also banned legacy admissions for public schools. Some private schools have done this, but because private schools have different requirements, they can’t be required to remove legacy consideration in the same way state schools are.
While not much can be done to change private universities’ processes with legacy, all public schools should remove legacy during the admissions process. All students should have a fair chance at acceptance without relying on generational wealth and white privilege.
