What are Legacy Admissions for College?
For decades, some colleges have given students who are related to alumni preferential treatment in admissions. This advantage, known as college legacy admissions, has been controversial. But it's recently come under enhanced scrutiny due to the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling against college admissions policies that consider an applicant's race.
In 2020, just about half the four-year colleges in the United States indicated that they consider a "relation to alumni" in their admissions process. The use of legacy preferences is more common among private colleges and is especially prevalent in the northeast United States.
What is legacy admission?
Legacy admission is a practice in which colleges give special consideration to children of alumni when making an admissions decision. Some institutions, such as Stanford and UNC, only consider "primary legacy" status—where one or both applicant's parents are alumni. Yet, most schools will also grant favor to "secondary legacies" who claim a grandparent, sibling, or other non-parental familial affiliation to the school.
Why do colleges consider legacy admissions?
Experts agree that one of the primary motivators for institutions to give legacy preference is that it helps their bottom line.
Emilio Castilla, a professor of management at the MIT Sloan School of Management, conducted a research study focused on data from a single unnamed institution over 16 years to determine why some schools still prefer legacy applicants.
Castillo said in an interview with U.S. News-Education:
“We found strong evidence that the college we studied benefits economically from admitting legacies. Legacy students are often more likely to be financially able to pay for tuition, require less aid, and are more likely to accept an offer from their legacy institution. Legacies may also be more likely to make larger and more frequent donations after graduation. Their legacy status can also incentivize continued donations from the related alumni.”
Legacy applicants usually contribute more financially to an institution, and the family ties to the school result in a sense of community among the students and the alumni.
Does legacy status improve your admissions chances?
If you already have solid grades and test scores, and your top-choice college is also your legacy school, applying Early Decision or Early Action might help your chances of admission.
Not only are early admission rates often higher than regular admission rates, but applying early also demonstrates interest, and identifying as a legacy can further demonstrate your commitment to attend if admitted.
Applying as a legacy can also impact your application strategy. Some institutions only consider legacy status if a student applies for E.D. or E.A. The advantages of applying as a legacy can be lost if you're not prepared to apply early at these colleges. So, do your research and be prepared to apply early.
Which colleges have the highest legacy admissions?
An analysis of the 100 highest-ranked colleges by Forbes magazine found that 78 percent of private institutions gave at least some consideration to legacy, compared with 15 percent of public colleges. Legacy status can significantly boost an applicant's chances at some of the nation's most competitive colleges.
Another study 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. Legacy applicants from less prosperous families were three times as likely to gain entry.
Should colleges allow legacy admissions?
Many institutions with legacy admissions have faced increasing pressure to halt the practice, mainly from critics claiming the system favors more privileged applicants and decreases diversity on campus.
Following the Supreme Court's ruling against racial preferences in admissions at higher education institutions, many suggest that legacy admissions deserve equal scrutiny.
Some schools that terminated legacy programs in recent years have reported noticeable changes in the demographic makeup of incoming classes, allowing students who might have been counted out previously due to lack of legacy status to have a fair chance to gain admission.
Which colleges have legacy admissions?
If you are applying to a college that considers legacy admissions and have a family member who attended, you should consider applying as a legacy applicant.
Wyoming, Nevada, and Alaska are the only states without universities or colleges providing a legacy admissions preference.
These five colleges consider legacy status "important" in their admissions decisions:
Boston College
Elon University
Oberlin College
Southwestern University
University of Puget Sound
These colleges give "some consideration" to legacy status in their admissions decisions:
Agnes Scott College
Allegheny College
Appalachian State University
Babson College
Bard College
Barnard College
Bates College
Baylor University
Beloit College
Bentley University
Berklee College of Music
Boston University
Bowdoin College
Brandeis University
Brown University
Bryant University
Bryn Mawr College
Bucknell University
Carleton College
Case Western Reserve University
Catholic University of America
Centre College
Champlain College
Claremont McKenna College
Clarkson University
Clemson University
Colby College
Colgate University
College of Charleston
College of the Atlantic
College of the Holy Cross
College of William and Mary
Colorado College
Colorado School of Mines
Columbia University in the City of New York
Connecticut College
Cornell College
Cornell University
Dartmouth College
Davidson College
Denison University
DePaul University
DePauw University
Dickinson College
Drake University
Drew University
Drexel University
Duke University
Duquesne University
East Carolina University
Eckerd College
Elizabethtown College
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Emory University
Fairfield University
Fashion Institute of Technology
Florida Institute of Technology
Florida International University
Florida Southern College
Fordham University
Franklin and Marshall College
Franklin W Olin College of Engineering
Furman University
George Washington University
Georgetown University
Georgia College & State University
Gettysburg College
Gonzaga University
Goucher College
Grinnell College
Grove City College
Gustavus Adolphus College
Hamilton College
Hampshire College
Hanover College
Harvard University
Harvey Mudd College
Haverford College
Hendrix College
Hillsdale College
Hobart William Smith Colleges
Hope College
Howard University
Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Wesleyan University
Ithaca College
James Madison University
Juniata College
Kalamazoo College
Kenyon College
Kettering University
Knox College
Lafayette College
Lake Forest College
Lawrence University
Le Moyne College
Lehigh University
Lewis & Clark College
Louisiana State University
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola University Maryland
Macalester College
Marquette University
Miami University-Oxford
Michigan State University
Middlebury College
Morehouse College
Mount Holyoke College
Muhlenberg College
New College of Florida
New Jersey Institute of Technology
New York University
North Carolina State University
Northwestern University
Occidental College
Ohio University
Ohio Wesleyan University
Pennsylvania State University
Pepperdine University
Princeton University
Providence College
Ramapo College of New Jersey
Reed College
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rhode Island School of Design
Rhodes College
Rice University
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rollins College
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Saint Anselm College
Saint Michael's College
Santa Clara University
Scripps College
Seattle University
Siena College
Skidmore College
Smith College
Southern Methodist University
St Lawrence University
St Olaf College
St. Mary's College of Maryland
Stanford University
Stetson University
Stevens Institute of Technology
Stonehill College
Stony Brook University
SUNY College at Geneseo
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Swarthmore College
Syracuse University
Temple University
Texas Christian University
The College of New Jersey
The University of Alabama
The University of Tampa
The University of the South
Towson University
Trinity College
Trinity University
Truman State University
Tufts University
Tulane University of Louisiana
Union College
United States Air Force Academy
United States Coast Guard Academy
United States Naval Academy
University of Arkansas
University of Central Florida
University of Chicago
University of Dallas
University of Delaware
University of Denver
University of Mary Washington
University of Massachusetts-Lowell
University of Miami
University of Minnesota-Duluth
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
University of New Hampshire
University of North Carolina at Asheville
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina Wilmington
University of Notre Dame
University of Oklahoma
University of Pennsylvania
University of Portland
University of Redlands
University of Rhode Island
University of Richmond
University of Rochester
University of San Francisco
University of Scranton
University of Southern California
University of St Thomas
University of Vermont
University of Virginia
Ursinus College
Vanderbilt University
Vassar College
Villanova University
Virginia Tech
Wabash College
Wake Forest University
Washington and Lee University
Washington College
Washington University in St Louis
Wellesley College
Wentworth Institute of Technology
Wesleyan University
Wheaton College
Wheaton College
Whitman College
Whittier College
Willamette University
Williams College
Wofford College
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Yale University
(This information was collected from Common Data Set Initiative, institution websites, and U.S. News Rankings—updated November 2023)
Other Factors Beyond Legacy Admissions
Whether or not you plan to apply to a college that uses legacy admissions in its decision process, it's essential to remember that it's still only a single factor in the decision. Your GPA, extracurriculars, letter of recommendation, and possibly even test scores are the other pieces of your comprehensive college application.
Because of this, we recommend using a tool like our college acceptance calculator. It will better help you understand how competitive you'll be at each school you apply to. With it, you can input your high school information and see how likely you'll be accepted. Just click the button below to get started. It's always free and easy to use.
