What do all the Ivy League schools, Georgetown, Duke, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, and a host of other prestigious institutions have in common? They all favor “legacy” applicants – those with a parent, grandparent, or sibling who graduated from the university.
“The most competitive schools tend to be the ones where legacy offers the biggest admissions boost,” according to Forbes. “For these institutions, legacy admissions have historically served as a way to maintain ties with alumni, secure donations, and increase their yield rate, which can be beneficial for rankings and institutional reputation. A family’s commitment to a school across generations can be seen as a reflection of the institution’s selectivity and prestige.”
The boost for legacy students varies at different institutions. A civil rights complaint filed last year again Harvard University claimed that donor-related applicants were seven times more likely to gain acceptance to Harvard, while legacy applicants were almost six times more likely to gain acceptance, according to Forbes. “Recruited athletes, legacies, relatives of donors, and children of faculty and staff constitute approximately 30% of those accepted each year.”
