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With affirmative action over, should colleges end legacy admissions next?

A new lawsuit alleges that legacy admission at Harvard gives preferential treatment to white applicants.

July 12, 2023

1 minute to read

After the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions, civil rights activists have turned their attention to ending legacy admissions.

Lawyers for Civil Rights, a nonprofit based in Boston, has filed a lawsuit against Harvard University, arguing that its legacy admission system violates the Civil Rights Act. Legacy admits are the children or relatives of alumni or wealthy donors, which the lawsuit alleges gives an unfair advantage to white students and takes spots away from qualified students of color.

In a recent poll, Boston.com readers said they agreed with the Supreme Court’s decision to end race-based admissions policies. Now, we want to know: Should colleges and universities do away with legacy admissions?

Admissions data released during the affirmative action case revealed that 70% of Harvard’s legacy and donor-related applicants are white and that being a legacy applicant makes it six times more likely that you’ll be admitted to the school.

Harvard isn’t the only school that practices legacy admissions, although few are required to report those numbers, so it’s unclear how many students are given preferential admissions based on family ties. An Associated Press survey of the most selective colleges found that legacy students in the freshman class of those schools ranged from 4% to 23%. At Notre Dame, University of Southern California, Cornell, and Dartmouth there are more legacy students than Black students.

“Why are we rewarding children for privileges and advantages accrued by prior generations? Your family’s last name and the size of your bank account are not a measure of merit, and should have no bearing on the college admissions process,” Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal, executive director of Lawyers for Civil Rights said in a statement.

Tell us: Do you think colleges should consider alumni and donor relation in the admissions process? Share your thoughts on legacy admissions by filling out the survey below or e-mailing us at [email protected] and we may feature your response in a future Boston.com article or social media channels.

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