Back in 2023, Affirmative Action was abolished in universities across the states, but an increase in diverse admissions was not seen as claimed within the case. Instead, a new issue has fallen into the spotlight, Legacy Admissions. In simple terms, Legacy Admission is when a student gets into a university, not on academic or community merit, but due to a family member’s previous enrollment and often donations. California has jumped to the forefront of the issue by banning state-wide legacy admissions, giving private universities one year to comply before action is taken against them.
Assemblyman Phil Tang, a San Francisco Democrat, the one who wrote the bill, AB 1780, has been advocating for the end of Legacy Admission since 2019 when a scandal broke out when hundreds of celebrities were revealed to be cheating their children way into colleges. This concern isn’t exclusively aimed at well-known names, with big-name colleges like Harvard and Yale showing 37% of students enrolled being legacy students, and only 12% in smaller more local colleges. It is also noted students with legacy status are five times more likely to be enrolled than those without it, even against students of higher academic standing.
Many public Universities in the California system have already long banned legacy preferences, making it a smoother transition for the state. The bill is targeting the Ivy League and knows it, it is stated all colleges including private have by the Fall of 2025 to instate the new rule or to abandon their access in California. The way the state will be monitoring the admissions technically begins now, requiring Universities to submit admission reports for each calendar year and expects its first round next year to see students enrolled for the 2025 Fall semester beforehand.
As of now no major punishment or penalty will be enacted due to how new the legislature and change is, only requiring colleges to admit to breaking the law under their official name, and failure to do so leads to further legal consequences. A suggested change depending on how 2025 goes is heavy fines placed on colleges and even requiring legacy students’ enrollment to be reviewed to determine if they really should be there, or if a denied applicant was to get their place. Many have opposed that change, but should universities decide themselves above the law it may be necessary to get them on the right path.
College is already difficult to get into especially for specific major types if one chooses a specialty school. Legacy admissions only cut deserving students’ chances down more and more, no matter how deserving. The reality is other states need to look into their legacy admission policies and see if the universities they house are pushing the bounds of minor favoritism to outright cheating students way in. This is a real issue affecting ambitious students who need to be nurtured and pushed into outstanding fields, not blocked out. Legacy admissions time is just now beginning to run out.
