California Bans Legacy Admissions

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Facts

  • Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday signed into law a ban on legacy admissions at public and private universities starting in Sept. 2025.[1]
  • This makes California the fifth state to ban legacy admissions and the second to ban them at private schools. Many states are searching for ways to diversify their universities' campuses after the 2023 US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) ended preferential treatment in admissions based on race.[2][3]
  • Although schools will be allowed to admit students with alumni or donor ties, they'll no longer be permitted to treat those applicants differently in the admissions process.[4]
  • Schools that violate the law won't face financial penalties, but will have their name posted on the state Department of Justice website. Violating schools will also be required to report additional admissions data, including the demographics of admitted students.[5]
  • Stanford, the University of Southern California, and Santa Clara University, are among the private colleges that will be affected, in addition to the public University of California system, which previously ended legacy preferences in 1998.[6]

Sources: [1]ABC News, [2]Governor of California, [3]Fortune, [4]DavisEnterprise.com, [5]Politico and [6]KVIA.

Narratives

  • Right narrative, as provided by Ctinsider. Under no circumstances is any legacy applicant gaining admission without being well-qualified, so colleges should have autonomy in their admissions decisions with the government staying out of the way. There are plenty of approaches to admissions that ensure a diverse student body without punishing those who want to exercise their loyalty and commitment to a school that matters to their family.
  • Left narrative, as provided by Washington Post. Legacy admissions are typically well-qualified, but giving them preferential treatment shatters the idea of a meritocracy as much as giving an admissions advantage to applicants based on race or gender. Laws like this may not have the impact on the makeup of student bodies that legislators hope, but in the name of fairness and the credibility of colleges, legacy admissions should end.

Predictions