California Bans Legacy Admissions at Private Universities, Ending Preferences for Wealth and Connections

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed AB 1780 into law, effectively banning legacy and donor-based preferences in admissions at private, nonprofit universities throughout the state, set to take effect in the fall of 2025. This move targets institutions like Stanford University, the University of Southern California (USC), and Santa Clara University, joining the California State University system and other public institutions that already prohibit legacy admissions.

“In California, everyone should be able to get ahead through merit, skill, and hard work,” Newsom stated, emphasizing that this policy shift aims to broaden access to higher education opportunities for all students based on qualifications alone. The law also mandates annual compliance reporting, requiring private colleges and universities to demonstrate adherence to the new rules.

Assemblyman Phil Ting, who proposed the bill, attributed its successful passage partly to public concerns arising from the 2019 college admissions scandal and more recent rulings limiting affirmative action. Ting stated, “This is about making sure we’re leveling the playing field,” underscoring the importance of merit over wealth in university admissions.

Stanford and USC, where legacy students have made up about 14% of enrollees, as well as Santa Clara, with a legacy rate of around 13%, now face substantial changes in how they manage admissions. While officials at Stanford, USC, and Santa Clara pledged to adapt their admissions processes to comply with the new law, they emphasized ongoing commitments to diverse student outreach.

The new ban on legacy admissions comes amid other shifts in university demographics, as seen in institutions like MIT and Amherst College, where the recent Supreme Court ruling against race-conscious admissions has correlated with a drop in Black student enrollment for the 2024 academic year.