Century Foundation Fellow on Legacy Admissions Begetting Educational Inequality
At many universities that have eliminated legacy preference, alumni have still continued to donate in large numbers. For example, Texas A&M, which did away with legacy preferences in 2004, saw its fundraising levels skyrocket in the years immediately following the decision. The university’s capital campaign raised $1.5 billion from 2003 to 2007, significantly surpassing its stated fundraising goal of $1 billion. A 2009 study found that the University of Georgia and six members of the University of Califorinia system, all of which had recently dropped legacy preferences, actually witnessed an increase in donations. And many esteemed private universities, including MIT, Caltech, and Cooper Union, enjoy some of the healthiest endowments in the nation despite not considering legacy status in admissions decisions.
Plus, empirical studies show that, when controlling for family wealth, there is no significant evidence of a causal relationship between legacy preference and total alumni giving at top universities.
On top of that, the legacy advantage provides a huge boost to students who don’t necessarily need it. “This is a preference that preferences the already advantaged,” observed Richard Kahlenberg, a Senior Fellow at The Century Foundation and a prolific writer on higher education issues...