By Emma Kavcioglu

At the beginning of October 2023, the California state legislature passed legislation banning legacy admissions in select universities in California. Legacy admissions are when schools give preferential treatment to students whose family members have attended that same university. Although the University of California and California State University systems have long banned legacy admissions, this piece of legislation will directly impact other prestigious schools in the state such as Stanford University and the University of Southern California. This legislation will go into effect in September of 2025, meaning that the current 2024-2025 admissions cycle will not be affected. 

Private schools like Stanford and the University of Southern California have been known to routinely admit students who have family members who have attended the same institution. NBC found in 2022, that legacy admissions accounted for about 14 percent of Stanford and USC’s enrollment.

Many have argued that legacy admissions provide an unfair advantage to children of alumni, affording them extra glances and consideration in the admissions process. In a 2022 poll by Pew Research Center, 75 percent of Americans felt that university admissions should not be determined by whether someone’s relative attended the school.

However, others believe that it is unfair for states to determine whether schools can consider legacy in their admissions. Schools like USC admit that they do ask students to report legacy to the school, but would not accept a student, legacy or not, if their application did not meet the requirements to attend the selective institution. 

Some schools believe that the success of a student’s parent at a specific school demonstrates a child’s or sibling’s ability if supported with the grades to match. Schools like Harvard and USC argue that the money they receive from alumni donors are funds that the schools can use to increase educational opportunities or give back to other students who can only attend that university if they receive substantial financial aid. 

Beginning with the Supreme Court striking down Affirmative Action, the government continues to intervene and regulate aspects of the college admissions process. Banning legacy admissions is supposed to make accessing education, and the California Dream, easier for all. The only way to know is to wait for the 2025-2026 college admissions cycle.