Ending Legacy Admissions Nationwide as a Moral Imperative

College admission policies favoring legacy applicants represents an outdated practice undermining the meritocracy admissions practices should uphold. By favoring alumni children, colleges across America perpetuate an inequality rooted in early 20th-century biases, one favoring wealthy white families, while excluding immigrants, Jews, and minorities. Today, legacies make up a good chunk of most entering freshmen classes, while enjoying a considerably higher acceptance rate compared to everyone else.

Proponents of legacy admissions argue that it enhances alumni ties and donations. However, most colleges don’t rely on legacies to achieve financial stability. Many prestigious institutions like MIT, Caltech, John’s Hopkins, and Amherst have actually thrived after eliminating legacy admissions, demonstrating that merit can and should be prioritized over family connections.

Legacy admissions also hinders diversity. Despite efforts to increase racial and socioeconomic representation, legacy admissions predominantly benefits affluent white students, perpetuating a cycle of privilege contradicting the mission of broadening access.

Eliminating legacy admissions would also create more opportunities for underrepresented students, while restoring public trust in colleges facing scrutiny for perceived favoritism. By ending this practice, colleges could lead by example, reaffirming their commitment to fairness, transparency, and a merit-based admissions process.

In today’s context, fairness is essential. Colleges must choose between maintaining privilege, or embracing a more equitable future. Ending legacy admissions is a vital step toward inclusivity and true meritocracy. Now is the time for colleges across America to demonstrate true visionary leadership by ending legacy admissions, once and for all.

John Hoffman, Founder, Oliver Scholars, 45 W 81st Street, NYC, NY (646)-595-6253, www.oliverscholars.org  Oliver Scholars is a college access program which has placed over 1,500 students into leading independent schools and colleges across America, including many at Brandeis.