Photo credit: The San Francisco Peninsula

In a historic move, California joined the ranks of being only the second state in the U.S. to ban legacy and donor preferences in university admissions. On September 30, 2024, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1780, AB 1780. This bill ensures that merit, rather than family connections or financial contributions, determines access to higher education.

This new legislation will impact private nonprofit colleges and universities in California starting from September 2025. The state's public university admissions have barred giving consideration to legacy and donor preferences since 1998, for institutions such as the University of California schools. Newsom said the law is among extended campaigns in efforts to make higher education more equitable in landscape and ensure every student gets a shot into their merits and qualifications.

Supporters of the bill-which include Assembly member Phil Ting-say it levels the playing field. The Supreme Court's ruling against affirmative action and the 2019 "Varsity Blues" scandal drew new scrutiny to the admissions process, and this bill buys the government some breathing room. Now institutions will be required to report their compliance with the ban annually.

Some private colleges may attempt to exempt themselves by forgoing state funding, but the majority are expected to comply given the significant financial aid students receive through state grants. For example, well-established institutions such as University of Southern California (USC) and Stanford University currently rely on millions of dollars in state financial aid programs, something that would most likely not be easily replaced.

Throughout the history of both USC and Stanford University, an average of 14% is a typical makeup of legacy admission students. For its 2023-2024 incoming class, about 14% of the students that were admitted to USC had family links with alumni compared to Stanford University, which stood at about 13.6%. Banning the admission of legacy students would forcefully drop that percentage to zero, which would make the incoming freshman class of 2025 more merit-based.

This decision places California in the vanguard to continue pressing for merit-based admissions and may serve as a model for other states and private institutions in the future.

국제학교뉴스 ISN Esther Baek interschoolnews@naver.com Esther Baek의 기사 더보기

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