California May Ban Legacy Admissions at Universities

California could become the fourth state to ban legacy admissions preferences at universities under a bill making its way through the State Legislature.

Many selective colleges have historically given to the children or grandchildren of alumni — who are much more likely to be white and wealthy than other applicants — an advantage in the admissions process. But the practice, never particularly popular with the public, has come under scrutiny since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year against affirmative action policies at colleges and universities.

After the court’s decision, some schools — including Occidental College, Carnegie Mellon and Wesleyan University — decided to stop giving preference to legacy applicants.

Now, California lawmakers are considering AB 1780, a bill that would prohibit universities in the state from giving preferential treatment to applicants because of their family ties to donors or alumni.

With affirmative action banned in higher education, “it makes complete sense to now ensure that we don’t look at someone’s wealth or lineage with the university to decide whether to admit them,” Phil Ting, a Bay Area Democrat who is the bill’s author, told me. The bill “doesn’t ban admitting donors’ or alumni children,” he added. “It just ensures that there’s no preferential treatment.”

Colorado and Virginia recently passed laws banning legacy admissions at public institutions of higher education. Maryland has done so at both public and private institutions. California’s public colleges and universities already give no preference to legacy candidates; the new bill would ban the practice at private institutions.