Why elite colleges won t give up legacy admissions?

Private colleges want money, especially from their graduates, and accepting their graduates' kids is a good strategy to raise money. The HYP schools are especially good at extracting $$$$$ from their alums. So if the school has two otherwise equally qualified applicants, advantage goes to the legacy for acceptance.

Will colleges get rid of legacy admissions?

A 2022 report from nonprofit think tank Education Reform Now found that colleges were turning away from legacy admissions. Eighty-nine percent of college admissions directors did not support the use of legacy admits, and three-quarters of public colleges and universities didn't even provide a legacy preference.

How big is the legacy boost at elite colleges?

Legacy status can deliver a potent boost to an applicant's chances at some of the nation's most competitive colleges. A landmark study, released this summer, found that legacy applicants from wealthy families were five times more likely than other students to gain admission to an Ivy League or Ivy-caliber school.

What is the problem with 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.

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.

U.S. colleges divided over whether to end legacy admissions

Does Cornell care about legacy?

So, if you are both a great student and a legacy applicant at Cornell, you will have a better chance of admission than other applicants, but there are no guarantees.

Does Dartmouth consider legacy?

Dartmouth happens to be the first institution to implement legacy admission. And it had a specific purpose — severely curbing the presence of ethnic and religious minorities like Jews and Catholics.

Why do colleges care so much about legacy?

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.

What colleges got rid of legacy?

Which colleges stopped legacy admissions?

How does Harvard know if you are legacy?

A Harvard legacy student is someone with a family tie to Harvard University, often being the child or grandchild of a Harvard alumnus. Legacy status can influence college admissions to varying degrees across different schools, including Harvard, but it's just one aspect considered in the application process.

Does Yale consider legacy?

Eleven percent of the Yale College class of 2027 are legacies, according to the admissions office's First-Year Class Profile. This number marks a slight decrease in legacy population from the class of 2026, which has 12 percent legacy students, and the class of 2025, which has 14 percent legacy students.

Does being a legacy help at Harvard?

Harvard gives preference to applicants who are recruited athletes, legacies, relatives of donors and children of faculty and staff. As a group, they make up less than 5 percent of applicants, but around 30 percent of those admitted each year.

Has MIT ever had legacy admissions?

MIT doesn't consider legacy or alumni relations in our admissions process.

How do colleges know if you're a legacy?

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?

Does Duke care about legacy?

It's a testament to the special nature of Duke that the children and grandchildren of alumni so often include Duke among the colleges they are considering. Family ties that span generations are a valued part of our tradition.

What is the acceptance rate for elite colleges?

Harvard University reported the lowest overall acceptance rate of 3%, followed by Columbia University and Yale University each with overall acceptance rates of 4%, Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology each reported an overall rate of 5%, Colby College, Dartmouth College and Vanderbilt ...

Does Princeton consider grad school legacy?

Princeton considers the children or stepchildren of graduate and undergraduate alumni to be legacy applicants.

Does legacy still matter for college?

Just under 50% of private universities still consider legacy status in the admissions process, and the rate is north of 80% at selective colleges with lower acceptance rates. And the advantage conferred in the admissions process can be enormous.

How important is it to leave a legacy?

The importance of leaving a legacy

Everyone creates and retells their own narrative — your life story both connects you to your community and differentiates you from the lives that others lead. In other words, your legacy is what makes you unique. It doesn't just give you good family stories to tell.

Why does Harvard like legacy students?

Given how Harvard and other high-status schools have valued legacy students, it's unlikely they will give up the practice easily, even with the Department of Education investigating the practice. These institutions say legacy admissions help foster relationships with alumni and promote an intergenerational community.

Does NYU consider legacy?

“And, to repeat: NYU does not admit students on the basis of legacy; being the child of an alum is not a factor in our admissions decision-making; we don't pay heed to legacy status in shaping a class; and NYU doesn't have legacy 'tips.

Does Northwestern university consider legacy?

The admissions process at top universities like Northwestern is still highly competitive, and legacy status is just one factor among many that admissions officers consider.

Does legacy matter at Princeton?

The Daily Princetonian, citing Class of 2023 and Class of 2026 surveys, found that legacy admits had higher SAT scores and earned higher undergraduate GPAs than their non-legacy classmates. And make of this what you will: They were also more likely to work in public service or for nonprofits after graduation.

What counts as legacy at Upenn?

The Admissions Office identifies legacy applicants based on the information provided in a student's application and defines “legacy” as being either a child or grandchild of alumni. Legacies who apply to Penn—like all applicants—receive thorough consideration in the application process.