California lawmakers are trying to cut back on the number of legacy admissions in competitive colleges with a new bill that discourages the practice and calls for schools to report their compliance.
Stanford reported to the state that about 14% of the students it admitted for Fall 2022 had either parents who were alums or families that donated.
The state legislature is looking to bring down that number, and not just at Stanford.
The new bill doesn’t fully ban private schools from giving preference to legacy applicants, but it does threaten their state funding. California already bans legacy admissions in public schools.
The bill also requires schools to self-report any violations to the law to the Department of Justice, which will post the names of violating schools on its website.
Legacy admissions have drawn more criticism since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that affirmative action is unconstitutional. The Brookings Institution reported recently that colleges often defend the practice, saying it helps bring in vital funds.
Follow us for more stories like this
CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you. As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.
Donate Today
