Even though you studied for months, got perfect scores on the SAT, and wrote the best essay, another student still gets in. Annoying, right? It could be something as easy as legacy preferences, though. But now that there are more and more arguments about fairness and equity in education, legacy admissions to U.S. colleges are getting a lot of attention.
Now, let’s talk about how it got started and why some higher education institutions support it.
What Is a Legacy Admissions in College?
To put it simply, legacy admissions are a preferential boost given to students whose family members (usually a parent or grandparent) attended the same school.
The origins of legacy admissions policies date back to the early 1900s. The social makeup of their student body was something that top universities like Harvard and Yale were looking for back then. The use of legacy preferences came forth to make sure that privilege continues from one generation to the next.
To better understand how it works, here’s a short comparison of what legacy status may signify for certain applicants:
| Applicant Type | What It Means | Typical Advantage |
|---|---|---|
| Regular Applicant | No family connection to the school | Admission is based only on academic and personal merit |
| Legacy Applicant | Has one or more relatives who attended the same university | May receive a “plus factor” or higher consideration in selection |
| Double Legacy | Both parents attended the university | Often has a noticeably stronger advantage |
Even though the numbers vary between institutions, legacy applicants are often admitted at two to three times the rate of non-legacy students.
Now, legacy policies face growing criticism. Still, many selective colleges kept them because they said that strong alumni networks and donations helped them keep their high standards.
In 2023, there was more debate about legacy admits. That’s because the U.S. Supreme Court struck down race-conscious admissions at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, ending affirmative action in college admissions nationwide. So, many began to question why family-based preferences should remain when these were banned.
As a result, universities have been forced to rethink how to achieve diversity without directly considering race, focusing instead on essays, socioeconomic background, or adversity faced.
What Are the Benefits of Legacy Admissions?
Even though legacy admissions are often criticized, highly selective private colleges still see real benefits in keeping them. When schools consider legacy status in admissions, they see it as a way to stay connected with alumni families who have supported them for years.
One of the biggest reasons colleges value this system is money. Families who feel tied to a university are usually more likely to give back through donations, mentoring programs, or event support. Those funds often go toward scholarships, research, and better facilities for all students.
For example, below are some common benefits that many higher education institutions mention:
- Stronger alumni loyalty. Families stay involved in campus life and continue to support the school.
- More predictable enrollment. Legacy students are more likely to accept offers, helping colleges better plan class sizes.
- Sense of tradition. The idea of multiple generations attending the same school helps keep a shared identity alive.
A legacy student also tends to feel more at home on campus, having grown up around the school’s traditions and stories. This thing often makes their enrollment at a college more likely once they’re accepted.
What Colleges Still Consider Legacy in Admissions?
Even though many schools are moving away from it, quite a few private universities still use legacy admissions today.
FYI, according to research by Education Reform Now, the number of four-year colleges that still use legacy admissions practices has dropped sharply over the past decade. Back in 2015, about half of these schools considered legacy status, but by 2025, that figure had fallen to around one in four.
Some of the most well-known universities that still practice legacy admissions include Harvard, Princeton, Brown, and Yale. Outside the Ivy League, places like Georgetown, Notre Dame, and Duke continue to use it, too.
At the same time, several states have already banned legacy admissions, including California, Maryland, Colorado, Virginia, and Illinois.
Let’s take a quick look at how things stand at the moment.
| Use Legacy Admissions | Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Duke, Stanford |
| Ended Legacy Preferences | Johns Hopkins, Amherst College, Wesleyan, Carnegie Mellon, Boston University, University of Minnesota, Pomona College, University of North Carolina |
Note that some institutions are private and have more freedom to set their own policies; state laws may or may not apply.
Attitudes toward legacy college admissions are clearly changing. What used to be seen as a harmless nod to family tradition is now viewed by many as unfair. Still, for now, legacy preferences remain a part of admission practices at several elite private universities across the U.S.
Should Colleges Practice Legacy Admissions?
A recent report from the Institute for Higher Education Policy found that about 42% of selective private colleges and 15% of selective public universities still give legacy status some weight in their admissions decisions. So, while many schools are changing their approach, the practice hasn’t disappeared yet.
Sure, schools say it helps them stay close with alumni and maybe bring in more donations, but studies show that the effect of legacy on giving isn’t nearly as big as people think. What it definitely does is make things feel less fair for everyone else.
Schools that dropped legacy preferences have seen encouraging results in terms of diversity and public perception.
For example, after Johns Hopkins officially stopped using legacy status, the share of first-generation students in its freshman class jumped from 8% to 19%. Also, Amherst College reported a similar trend, with a noticeable rise in students from low-income and underrepresented backgrounds.
Legacy policies often prefer legacy applicants from families who already have access to top schools. That means first-generation students or kids from less privileged backgrounds can end up at a disadvantage, even if they’ve worked just as hard, or harder.
Let’s break it down:
- It doesn’t reflect ability. Legacy students usually perform the same as everyone else once they get in.
- Ending legacy admissions opens more doors for underrepresented and low-income applicants.
- People trust the system more when family connections don’t decide who gets in.
At this point, the argument against legacy admissions feels pretty clear. Even top universities like Harvard have faced federal scrutiny over how legacy status influences admissions.
As public pressure grows, more institutions may be forced to rethink or abolish this tradition altogether.
What’s the Future of Legacy Status in the Admissions Process?
The truth about legacy admissions in U.S. colleges is that they show both the good and bad sides. This strategy was made to improve family bonds and student loyalty, but it now brings up important questions about fairness and equality.
Even if legacy admissions still exist, don’t let them discourage you. Just focus on what you can control: your academic performance, extracurricular achievements, essays, and recommendations.
Most college admissions consultants suggest a few simple things:
- Keep up with how each school handles admissions, because the rules change more often than you think.
- Tell your story in a way that shows who you are beyond grades and scores.
- Send out a range of applications, not just to the big-name schools.
- Don’t doubt yourself. Whether you’re a legacy or not, you deserve a spot in higher education.
Remember, colleges place equal weight on talent and sincerity as they do on test results.
Also, it seems that more and more schools are dropping legacy preferences in admissions, and that trend isn’t going to stop any time soon. These days, the emphasis is on hard work and skill above familial connections. And if things keep going this way, legacy preferences could soon be a thing of the past.