One of the issues that experienced college counselors understand is that there are certain groups of students who have a much better chance for admission at selective colleges. One such group are legacy students, those students who have a parent who attended the college the students is applying to. ABC news has examined this group of students in a new article discussing the lack of information colleges make available about legacy students.
Legacy admissions must be considered even by those students who do not have legacy status. The stated admission rates include the admission rates for legacy students, as well as other groups such as recruited athletes. The result is that the actual admission rate for the typical student who does not belong to one of these groups is much lower than the stated admission rate.
College admissions is not a perfect system but the more the prospective student understands the issues and limitations, the more likely that they will make appropriate choices.
Legacy admissions. The best way to gain admissions to selective colleges?
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What percentage of universities participate in legacy admissions?
What criteria determine a “legacy admission”? Is it a direct 1st or 2nd generation descendant? Is anyone in the bloodline eligible?
Gilbert,
Thanks for your questions. I am not aware of any statistics that discuss how many universities give a preference to legacy admissions. It tends to be much more prevalent among private colleges than public.
As to the question of who is considered a legacy, the answer differs from college to college. All colleges that I am aware of will consider parents for legacy determinations and most, if not all, will also consider siblings. Some will consider direct linage, i.e. grandparents while others will consider anyone to whom you are related. This is the type of question that needs to be asked of any college to which you may be able to claim a legacy.