By: Jordan Park

Sports Editor

On Oct. 7, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation banning private California universities from giving special consideration to applicants with family or relatives with close connections to schools, a practice commonly referred to as legacy admissions. 

The state’s public university system eliminated legacy admissions decades ago, but private institutions continued to show favoritism toward the descendants of alumni or major donors. Historically, numerous selective colleges have provided special consideration to the children or grandchildren of alumni to strengthen endorsements that support various campus programs and help lower-income students afford tuition. Within the United States, legacy admissions are still extremely prevalent in the college admissions process. Conversely, the state of Maryland bans legacy preferences at private and public institutions. Similar rules exist in Illinois, Virginia, and Colorado, which ban legacy admissions though solely at public universities and colleges. 

On Oct. 7, the day Governor Newsom signed legislation, Stanford and the University of Southern California (USC), both affected by the ban, promptly reacted to the prohibition. Stanford noted that the legislation does not take effect until fall 2025 and that they will continue to review their admissions policies. In a statement, USC promised that all of its admitted students met the institute’s rigorous academic standards. The statement went on to express that USC will continue to recruit and admit students in accordance with the law.  

This recent law results from the hard work and perseverance of Assemblyman Phil Ting, a San Francisco Democrat and author of bill AB 1780, banning legacy admissions in California.“If we value diversity in higher education, we must level the playing field,” stated Assemblyman Ting. He went on to say, “Hard work, good grades and a well-rounded background should earn you a spot in the incoming class — not the size of the check your family can write or who you’re related to. ”Although his efforts eventually succeeded, his earlier attempts with such a bill were unsuccessful, as seen in the Varsity Blue Scandal of 2019, where parents tried to obtain admissions for their children through a series of bribes and false records. Assemblyman Ting unsuccessfully attempted to push through a bill banning legacy admissions, but he still successfully implemented a measure in which private institutions were required to report the number of students accepted due to legacy admissions. Stanford and USC reported that about 14 percent of the students admitted in the fall of 2022 had legacy connections. That emerging data ultimately helped pioneer the recent bill. In support of the ban, Governor Newsom stated that “merit, skill, and hard work should determine college admissions. The California dream shouldn’t be accessible to just a lucky few, which is why we’re opening the door to higher education wide enough for everyone, fairly.”  

The new regulations will take effect on Sept. 1, 2025, and many anticipate that the new process will impact admissions for the incoming class in the fall of 2026.

(Sources: Official California website, NY Times)