Legacy Admissions: A Vestige of a Bygone Era That Won't Go Away
- Lynn Hofstad
- 8 minutes ago
- 3 min read
I usually try to offer objective advice in my blogs; every person and applicant is different. I am aware that something that might seem like the obvious or right decision to me, might not be the right or obvious decision for someone else. However, reeeeeealy struggle to remain objective about legacy admissions (and if I'm honest I don't think any one is objective about it—it either benefits you or it doesn't). I continue to be surprised that it is still a thing. It feels like a vestige of a bygone era when family name opened doors or enabled automatic entrance to positions of power. Maybe I read too much Jane Austen, but I could never get over the random, distant cousin Mr. Collins inheriting Longbourne* instead of the Bennet sisters...but I digress (and I doubt you came here to read about my thoughts on primogeniture).
Alas, despite my objections, legacy consideration continues to be a factor in admissions. Therefore, until the day it is dismantled, I think it's an important piece of knowledge to consider when approaching building a college list.
What is Legacy?
Legacy admissions by definition is preference given to applicants who have relatives who are alumni of the college. The more direct the connection to the alumni, the more preference (e.g. children of alumni have more legacy advantage than grandkids or nieces and nephews). Every Ivy League college considers legacy status during admission, but the list isn't limited to those schools. Other prominent colleges considering legacy status include: Duke, Dartmouth, Notre Dame, Stanford, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, and many others.
Why does it matter?
If you happen to have legacy status at your favorite college...🎉congratulations🎊, you have a huge leg up. If you don't...be aware that legacies are viewed through a different lens during the admissions process. Numerous studies have found a benefit for legacies, despite universities with legacy admissions denying any difference in qualifications between accepted legacy and non-legacy students. One study by Michael Hurwitz:
"looked at more than 130,000 students who'd applied in the 2006-2007 academic year...to one or more of thirty highly selective colleges. And he found that among students with seemingly equivalent grades, test scores and other qualifications, legacies had a 23.3 percent better chances of admission than nonlegacies. If students were "primary legacies," meaning that a parent rather than an aunt or a grandparent had gone to the college in question, they had a 45.1 percent better chance."**
Aside from recruited athletes, legacy students have perhaps the greatest advantage in admission to "prestigious" colleges.
"Between 2009 and 2015, the acceptance rate for legacies at Harvard was 34 percent. That compared to a 6 percent acceptance rate for everyone else during the same period. In any give year, legacies make up around one-third of Harvard's freshman class."***
In a previous blog, I noted the different acceptance rates at public universities for residents vs. non-residents. This is another example of how acceptance rates can differ based on a specific demographic. However, this time the contributing factor is whether or not you are related to an alum of the university.
Jeffrey Selingo summarizes the advantage for legacies succinctly:
"Think about it this way: Harvard sent out only 1,781 acceptance to the 30,000 domestic students who applied for the Class of 2019. One-third of them, 567 to be exact, went to student with special circumstances [e.g. legacies and athletes]"****
The Asterisk on Every Acceptance Rate
I don't like legacy admission, but, just as I know my mind won't change about the practice, I don't see it going away any time soon. There is a huge benefit to the university to entice alumni to stay engaged with (and continue to give money to) the institution. So while it might not seem objectively fair, the practice is advantageous for the university and will therefore persist.
Bottom line: even if (especially if) legacy doesn't apply to you, it is an important piece of information to keep in mind when looking at acceptance rates—just as it's important to keep in mind the percentage of recruited athletes who are accepted, and the percentage of the incoming class that is filled during early decision.
Do your homework on whether or not the colleges you are applying to have legacy admissions. Know the acceptance rates and build a balanced college list based on the rates that apply to you...not just the ones advertised on the website.
* Yes, the primary image for the blog is Longbourne as depicted in the 2005 film version of Pride and Prejudice
** Frank Bruni, Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be, pg. 56. (bolding added by me)
*** Jeffrey Selingo, Who Gets in and Why, pg. 159. (bolding added by me)
**** Jeffrey Selingo, Who Gets in and Why, pg. 160.
