By Max Corbett '25
Most Americans would agree that our current system of college admissions is flawed. The process of being admitted to colleges seems more and more pressurized every day, a truth NEST+m students are all too familiar with. But is the process even a meritocracy anymore? After all, for many institutions a student’s extracurriculars or GPA aren’t all that matter - where the applicant’s family went can actually be what gets them admitted.
Many organizations and individuals are obsessed with affirmative action, which is supposed to help level the playing field for low-income, minority students. However, there are still blatant inequities that exist in the college admissions process, one of the most obvious being legacy status. Legacy status is a priority colleges and universities give to students whose families attended those institutions. For instance, if one of your parents or extended family members attended Princeton, you would be said to have “legacy status” there. This status can drastically increase your chances of getting admitted, especially to world-class institutions with record-low acceptance rates.
How much does legacy status help applicants gain admission to universities? One Harvard Study states that at 30 selective universities applicants with legacy status get an additional 23.3% odds of admission. This means that well-off, multi-generational applicants have been getting a huge boost in terms of being placed at some of America’s best colleges and universities. They are filling up seats that could’ve gone to just as equally qualified immigrant or low-income applicants.
This issue goes beyond just college, however. Studies have shown that this discrepancy in who is admitted to universities contributes to the current wealth disparities we see across our country. A Forbes article titled “The Real Problem with Legacy Admissions” states that graduates of selective schools “earn a significant earnings premium.” The alumni of elite schools make more money on average, so more underprivileged students attending would be instrumental in ending the wealth gap. However, the legacy status is preventing these kinds of hard working yet unconnected students from gaining admission to these universities, thus exacerbating inequities in this country.
With universities fixated more than ever on the idea of a diverse campus, it would seem that legacy status is on its way out in many admission processes. However, over 75% of the Top 100 research institutions utilize legacy admissions. This questions the true intention of many universities who disband the SAT and ACT in a claim to increase diversity while still maintaining policies that go against this same message.
While many top American universities are not fixing this issue, Congress is trying to. There is currently a bill being introduced to Congress that, if passed, would outlaw the use of legacy status in college admissions. However, we cannot wait until Congress acts to oppose the legacy system. It is blatantly inequitable and nepotistic, and is the source of many inequities in our country that stem from our higher education system. In order to make the world a fairer place, we must first abolish the legacy system so that all students, regardless of background, get a fair shot.
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