California is on the brink of becoming the fourth state to ban legacy admissions preferences at universities, a move that could level the playing field for all applicants. The bill, known as AB 1780, is making its way through the State Legislature and aims to prohibit universities from giving preferential treatment to applicants based on their family ties to donors or alumni.
Legacy admissions have long been a controversial practice, with many arguing that it unfairly advantages white and wealthy students. With the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action policies at colleges and universities, the scrutiny on legacy admissions has only intensified.
The bill’s author, Phil Ting, a Bay Area Democrat, believes that with affirmative action banned, it is crucial to ensure that admissions decisions are not influenced by wealth or lineage. The proposed legislation would not ban admitting donors’ or alumni children, but rather ensure that there is no preferential treatment based on these connections.
Colorado and Virginia have already passed laws banning legacy admissions at public institutions, while Maryland has done so at both public and private institutions. California’s public colleges and universities currently do not give preference to legacy candidates, but the new bill would extend the ban to private institutions.
Ting’s previous attempt to push through a similar bill in 2019 fell short, but he did succeed in getting a provision passed that requires private colleges to report how many students they admit due to donor or alumni ties. The reports revealed that the practice was most prevalent at Stanford, U.S.C., and Santa Clara University.
The bill has already passed the Assembly and now awaits approval from the Senate and Governor Gavin Newsom. If passed, California would join the ranks of states taking a stand against legacy admissions, paving the way for a more equitable higher education system.
