Legacy Admissions

by Andrew Bota

The first roundtable of the 2023-2024 year saw significant attendance, with about 18-24 students present for the discussion and several free slices of Curry N Pie. The vast majority of students were, as general polling would suggest, opposed to legacy admissions; about three were in favor and two undecided. 

The minority seemed to have won over the majority of the group on a particular point, however, namely that the abolition of legacy admissions should not be done on the grounds that it would increase diversity, as the impact on school demographics would likely be minimal. Further, removing legacy admissions for this reason might lead to universities claiming that said measure constituted a sufficient effort being made on their part. Some, though, disagreed on this point, suggesting that the non-consideration of legacy would at least be a step in the right direction with respect to increasing diversity in schools. 

Those in favor of legacy admissions also cited how it could be used to build intergenerational wealth, as it helps secure upward mobility for those who were the first in their family to attend college. In the case of Georgetown in particular, legacy admissions is a part of its efforts to provide a form of reparations to the descendants of the 272, who were granted honorary legacy status. On the other hand, some of those opposed to legacy suggested that, in the case of the 272, an alternate status marking could be used and that, by nature, legacy status promotes the status quo instead of mobility. Just as legacy reserves places for the children of first generation students, it reserves places for old money.

Though the arguments that legacy promotes donations, thus improving the school’s facilities and quality of life, were quickly dismissed by data suggesting otherwise, the group did discuss the benefits of legacy admissions on students’ futures due to the practice’s promotion of alumni culture. As wide alumni networks aid students professionally, especially if they lack connections, it can be said that legacy admissions ultimately contribute to students’ futures while promoting social mobility. Nonetheless, many students pushed back on the idea that legacy grows alumni networks, since there is little data on the topic, and many alumni are proud of their alma mater regardless of whether their family also attended the same school. 

Towards the end, we discussed whether legacy admissions were practical and whether they were moral. Given the importance of yield rate in ranking, legacy increases the prestige of a university, as students who are legacy are more likely to accept admission offers. Universities are expected to maintain and grow their standing, so perhaps legacy is a necessary consequence of that. On the other hand, the primary goal of a university is to seek knowledge, not to play games to get a specific rank through perpetuating existing systems of power. If legacy is a quality considered in admissions, then there likely are students who would not have gotten in but for them being born into legacy status, those on “the edge.” Many were concerned that it was not right for a university to accept those less qualified in their mission to grow as academics and people, just because such people were born to academic nobility.