How much does legacy matter in college admissions?

Elite colleges say they prioritize legacies for a few reasons. It helps maintain strong ties with alumni, which assists with donations, networking and a sense of community. When admitted, children of alumni are much more likely to attend — helping with something admissions offices call their yield rate.

How important is legacy for college?

But being a legacy is something that gives you an extra boost." Although being a legacy often helps students get admitted to a competitive college, many experts agree that the true value of legacy status is contextual – it depends on both the institution and the applicant.

Do colleges check legacy?

While legacy status can be a compelling piece of information, colleges really do not spend too much time asking about it. Colleges can include questions about legacy status in their supplements on the Common Application, and it's often just two or three questions. Are you related to an alumnus?

Do legacy students have a higher chance?

A research group at Harvard conducted an analysis of a dozen elite schools — including the Ivy Leagues, Stanford, and the University of Chicago — and determined that, among applicants with similar test scores, legacy applicants were far more likely to be accepted into the school their parents attended than those whose ...

Do legacy admissions offer an advantage?

There are several benefits. A legacy admission is both more likely to enroll and to be retained. The applicant knows what they are getting into and what the campus life is like. They also have someone who can provide advice.

LEGACY APPLICANTS in the COLLEGE ADMISSIONS PROCESS: what is it, what does it mean

What are the cons of legacy admissions?

In the case of legacy admissions, elite universities are effectively discriminating against less privileged students for the benefit of the wealthy — and some donors are enabling them. Fortunately, some universities have already taken legacy preferences off the table. MIT and Wesleyan, for example.

Why do colleges prefer legacies?

The “logic” is that legacy students are most likely to matriculate, most likely to graduate, most likely to be happy with the school, and most likely to donate. They continually support the school. Students are familiar with what their parents do and did, and where they went to school.

How much does legacy actually help?

A study actually found that students are 45% more likely to get into a highly selective college if they're considered primary legacy.

Do Ivy Leagues care about legacy?

In short, Ivy League and other top schools typically admit legacies at two to five times their overall admission rates. Among top universities, the University of Notre Dame and Georgetown University are known to weigh legacy status heavily in their application processes.

Which colleges look at legacy?

Yale, Cornell, Duke, Brown, Vanderbilt and Emory universities, as well as the University of Pennsylvania, all confirmed this week that they would consider the legacy ties of high school seniors who apply to enter next fall.

Do aunts and uncles count as legacy?

An applicant normally has legacy status at a college if a member of the applicant's immediate family attends or attended the college, but at certain schools it might also mean a grandparent, aunt or uncle, or cousin.

Do grandparents count as legacy for college?

Any other relatives are considered secondary legacies, including grandparents, siblings, cousins, aunts, etc. You could get a small boost from a secondary legacy, but it really depends on the school policy, like @CameronBameron said (especially as some schools don't even consider legacies).

Does UCLA care about legacy?

There are no “legacy admissions” at UCLA — or at any of the other University of California campuses. The UC application does not ask applicants where their parents or family members graduated from college. Nor are the alma maters of an applicant's parents or family members considered in the admission process.

Do legacies still matter?

While legacy status still matters to many elite institutions, it's more important for applicants to have a strong holistic profile that demonstrates they are a good fit for the school.

Are legacy admissions fair?

Just 30% of college students say that legacy admissions practices are fair. Overall, 32% agree that legacy admissions could have helped their chances of getting into the college of their choice versus the 46% who say the practice may have hurt their chances.

Who has gotten rid of legacy admissions?

In 2021, Colorado became the first state to ban legacy preferences in public universities. Similar bills have emerged in New York and Connecticut.

What percent of legacy admissions are white?

The complaint argues that legacy admissions are tantamount to racial discrimination because Harvard grants preferential treatment to legacies – 70% of whom are white.

What percent of Ivy students are legacy?

At many Ivy League schools, about 12 to 16 percent of each class is made up of legacies. (The portion is smaller at some.)

Are you more likely to get into Harvard if your parents went?

Are my chances of admission enhanced if a relative has attended Harvard? The application process is the same for all candidates. Among a group of similarly distinguished applicants, the children of Harvard College alumni/ae may receive an additional look.

What percentage of legacy applicants get into Princeton?

Isabel Richardson / The Daily Princetonian

Princeton considers the children or stepchildren of graduate and undergraduate alumni to be legacy applicants. According to data from Princeton in 2018, over 30 percent of applicants with a legacy connection are admitted, compared to less than five percent overall.

Does Princeton care about legacy?

The legacy category in Princeton admissions is a major positive for the University, its students and its alumni. One of Princeton's important and unique strengths is its culture of being a family and the cohesiveness of its student body, as well as the loyalty of its alumni.

Do legacy admissions increase donations?

In fact, a 2010 study by researchers at The Century Foundation of 100 top colleges also found "no statistically significant evidence that legacy preferences impact total alumni giving." When Amherst ditched legacy from its admissions process in 2021, it acknowledged it would be just fine financially without legacies, ...

How does legacy affect college admissions?

On the other hand, being a legacy does not guarantee admission, and in some cases, it may actually work against you. Admissions officers are looking for the best candidates to fill their classes, and if your academic and personal achievements do not measure up, being a legacy will not be enough to secure your spot.

Which top colleges don t consider legacy?

Do public universities care about legacy?

After the Varsity Blues scandal, California lawmakers approved a bill that required all universities receiving state funding to submit annual reports on whether they practice legacy admissions. The state's public universities do not consider legacy in admissions, but many of the private ones do.