What is the Future of Legacy in College Admissions?

Wed, September 13, 2023 11:30 AM

Over the past year, the topic of whether colleges should eliminate legacy in their application process has become heated talking point in part due to the elimination of Affirmative Action.

In college admissions, a “legacy” student is defined as someone whose parents or other family members attended and graduated from the institution to which a student is applying. Typically, legacy admissions occur in some of the more selective colleges – in particular, the Ivy League schools. These colleges are more likely to admit a student whose parent(s) attended the college in the past, assuming the applicant has all of the necessary academic and extracurriculars needed to be a top candidate. What fires families up is when the word gets out that a student was admitted to a top college with terrible academics compared to other applicants. There have been cases in the past where legacy gave an applicant a boost in admissions to overcome deficiencies in their application. In other cases, some colleges admit a legacy student because it is a way to honor tradition and keep that college in the family.

It is important to note that some colleges have decided to stop this practice – most recently Wesleyan University, University of Maryland, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, and Occidental College, just to name a few. And many more colleges are having open conversations in their admissions departments about how to handle legacy in the future – so stay tuned.

If the school your student is applying to still considers legacy, be sure to have your son or daughter highlight your family’s connection on their college application under the parental educational background section. You never know when this might catch the attention of the admissions representative reviewing their application and could give your student a slight edge in the admissions process for that college.

Does your student need help making sure their essay(s) will catch the attention of their college – for all the right reasons? Schedule a FREE 15-minute Discovery Zoom Meeting with me TODAY, so that I can help your son or daughter successfully cross the finish line.