US: Wesleyan Ends Legacy Admissions

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Facts

  • In a letter to the university community on Wednesday, Wesleyan University President Michael Roth announced that legacy preferences in admissions would be eliminated.1
  • The Middleton, Conn., school becomes the latest institution to change its policies in recent years and comes in the wake of the US Supreme Court’s June decision to end race-based affirmative action in college decisions.2
  • In noting that “connection to a Wesleyan graduate” had little to do with determining whether an individual could succeed at the university, Roth wrote that the recent SCOTUS decision made it crucial for the school “to formally end admission preference for ‘legacy applicants.’”3
  • Wesleyan said it plans to promote a more diverse student body by seeking applicants from outside of US cities and coastal areas, recruiting veterans, establishing ties with community colleges, and increasing financial aid.4
  • Wesleyan is a selective private liberal arts school, which had a 15.7% admission rate in 2023. Of those admitted as part of the class of 2027, 4% had a parent who graduated from the school.5

Sources: 1Associated Press, 2Wall Street Journal, 3The Hill, 4Independent, and 5Washington Post.

Narratives

  • Progressive narrative, as provided by ABC News. If SCOTUS can upend decades of precedent to eliminate race-based selection, then certainly the courts and the schools can see how legacy preference – which overwhelmingly favors white applicants and gives a leg up to the wealthy over people from marginalized communities – should be abolished. Legacy preference is a large part of structural racism in the US.
  • Conservative narrative, as provided by Forbes. Legacy preference in college admissions is necessary for the survival of the institutions that use them. Not only are legacy applicants more likely to enroll in the school – making for a smooth and certain admissions process — but they're also more likely to become donors who contribute to the endowments that keep private schools afloat. Whereas affirmative action had little benefit to schools, legacy preference is a school's lifeblood.