On Monday, Oct. 7, Governor Gavin Newsom placed a ban on legacy admissions — the practice of giving admissions preference to relatives of alumni. This change will likely affect major institutions, such as the University of Southern California (USC) and Stanford University, amongst others.
After Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts and Maryland, California becomes the fifth state in the nation to declare such a ban. California’s, however, is only the second that will apply to private institutions as well as public universities.
The law will take effect on Sept. 1, 2025; making it illegal for both public and private colleges in California to consider an applicant’s connection or relationship with alumni or donors during the admission process.
Governor’s Comment
Newsom made a statement on the decision, speaking on the accessibility of “The California Dream”:
“In California, everyone should be able to get ahead through merit, skill and hard work.”
Gavin Newsom
He stated that the decision was made to avoid limiting accessibility to only a few. Through this decision, the California government claims to be, “opening the door to higher education wide enough for everyone, fairly.”
The Decision in Effect
This decision will mean that while California, like other states with similar laws, will not financially penalize violators, their names will be posted on the state Department of Justice’s website.
The state previously implemented legislation regarding data reporting requirements in 2022, which they will now update. In place of the ban, schools that violate it will be subject to submitting much more detailed reports regarding admission demographics.
Public universities in California will not be affected by the ban. California State University does not consider legacy admissions and the University of California system has not done so since 1998.
Reasons for Implementation
The ban was put into place due to several private institutions, reportedly, “us[ing] a significant portion of their admissions pool to help legacy and donors get admitted,” according to Assemblymember Phil Ting.
The Varsity Blues scandal created a basis for such concerns amidst the masses as well as government officials. Ting reported numbers that showed that in 2022, USC admitted 14.4 percent of legacy admission students; the highest of any California University, followed by Stanford and Santa Clara, with 13.8 percent and 13.1 percent respectively.
USC responded to the legislation while it was still pending:
“We continuously evolve our recruitment, admission and financial aid programs to create a student body that is diverse in all respects and to comply with the law as it develops in this area.”
University of Southern California (USC)
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