California bans legacy university admissions statewide

California universities tin no longer favour the children of alumni successful the admissions process starting adjacent year.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a measure banning alleged bequest admissions connected Monday astatine each backstage colleges and universities successful the state. Legacies were already banned astatine nationalist schools.

“In California, everyone should beryllium capable to get up done merit, skill, and hard work,” Newsom said successful a statement. “The California Dream shouldn’t beryllium accessible to conscionable a fortunate few, which is wherefore we’re opening the doorway to higher acquisition wide capable for everyone, fairly.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a property league successful Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer, File)

The caller regularisation volition instrumentality effect successful September 2025, and it volition marque California the 2nd authorities to prohibition legacies astatine backstage and nationalist schools, pursuing Maryland earlier this year. Colorado, Illinois and Virginia person banned legacies astatine nationalist universities.

Several studies person shown children of alumni are much much apt to beryllium admitted to elite universities than their non-legacy peers with akin world achievements. Additionally, bequest students are acold likelier to beryllium achromatic and wealthy.

Debates astir legacies were reignited past year, erstwhile the Supreme Court banned affirmative enactment nationwide. Affirmative enactment had already been outlawed successful California since 1996, and the University of California strategy banned legacies successful 1998.

But large backstage schools, specified arsenic Stanford and the University of Southern California, continued to judge legacies. Children of alumni made up 16% of Stanford’s incoming 2020 people and 14% of USC’s incoming 2022 class, according to the schools.

“If we worth diverseness successful higher education, we indispensable level the playing field,” assemblyman Phil Ting said successful a statement. “Hard work, bully grades and a well-rounded inheritance should gain you a spot successful the incoming people – not the size of the cheque your household tin constitute oregon who you’re related to.”