Why I View the Ban on Legacy Admissions at California’s Private Universities With Skepticism - Commentary

Julie Posselt, professor of education at the University of Southern California, associate dean of the USC Graduate School, and executive director of the Center for Enrollment Research, Policy and Practice (CERPP), writes:  

California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed a law prohibiting the consideration of legacy and donor status in admissions decisions. The impact will be most felt at a small handful of private colleges and universities, including my own, the University of Southern California (USC). I view the new policy with the same skepticism with which I viewed the fervor around eliminating test scores and eliminating affirmative action. Banning legacy admissions is promoted not only as a matter of fairness, but as a strategy for increasing Black, Latino and Native American student enrollment in elite universities after the Supreme Court restricted race-conscious admissions in 2023.