This prohibition extends its reach to private and nonprofit educational institutions in addition to public ones.
The children of wealthy people, including prominent politicians, celebrities, and wealthy contributors, used to attend the top US universities. But the US is gradually doing away with “legacy admissions” in favor of merit-based education. Governor Gavin Newsom signed the bill into law on Monday, making California the fifth state to do so.
“In California, everyone should be able to get ahead through merit, skill, and hard work,” said Newson as he signed the law. He went on to say, “We’re opening the door to higher education wide enough for everyone, fairly, because the California Dream shouldn’t be available to just a lucky few.”
“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,” stressed Phil Ting, the Democratic state senator who drafted the bill.
This prohibition extends its reach to private and nonprofit educational institutions in addition to public ones. It is anticipated that the bill will go into effect in September 2025. In 2021, Colorado became the first state to ban legacy admissions; Illinois, Maryland, and Virginia then followed suit, and California is the most recent state to join the list.
The US Supreme Court’s ruling to eliminate race-based admissions in college admissions, which detractors believe primarily targets Black students, was followed by this prohibition in other states. The case demonstrated how legacy admissions and other similar tactics were being used to admit white scholars.
California Legacy Admissions Cases
In the fall of 2023, six California schools and universities reportedly give precedence to the families of benefactors and alumni. The ranking included Santa Clara University with 38 students under legacy admissions, Stanford University with 295 students, and the University of Southern California with the top 1,791 students admitted in this category. Nonetheless, it is anticipated that the prohibition will increase the admissions system’s transparency.
