Minnesota should follow the example of other states that already have or are in the process of banning legacy admissions, which give preferential treatment to prospective students whose family members previously attended the same college or university.
A bill to ban the practice at all private and public colleges in the state was introduced at the Minnesota Legislature last week, and it’s a proposal worth supporting. The practice is outdated and has mostly benefited wealthier white students. It’s time to level the playing field.
Legacy applicants are nearly four times as likely to be admitted as non-legacy applicants with the same test scores, according to a study by research group Opportunity Insights based at Harvard University. In the first year after dropping legacy admissions, Amherst College saw its share of legacy students in the freshman class fall by about half while 19% of first-year students were the first in their families to attend college, the most in the school’s history.
Getting behind the bill shouldn’t be a heavy lift. Many of Minnesota’s institutions of higher learning already refrain from such practices, according to an MPR News report. That list includes: the Minnesota State system, Gustavus Adolphus College, the University of Minnesota, Carleton College, Augsburg University, Bethel University and the University of St. Thomas.
The practice was called into question last year after the Supreme Court ruled against race-conscious admissions, striking down affirmative action. On the heels of that ruling, colleges and universities faced renewed pressure to put an end to legacy preferences that have traditionally catered to the white population. If admissions should be based on merit, then that should mean for everyone.
It’s a relief that many Minnesota colleges and universities wouldn’t be affected by a ban, but putting the ban in place would ensure that situation remains the case and would make the practice obsolete across the state.