From atop our soapbox in elite college admission, we at Ivy Coach have long called for an end to the practice of legacy admission. Legacy admission, offering preferential treatment in admissions decision-making to the progeny of a school’s alumni base, is an anachronistic practice more befitting an aristocracy than our proud American meritocracy. Why should the children of alumni be fast-tracked for admission as more qualified applicants are sidelined? However, much of our focus over the years has been on ending legacy admission at the undergraduate level. Today, we wish to draw attention to the fact that many graduate schools, including many medical schools, also practice legacy admission — and it’s high time for this to end.

Think about it. If you were about to undergo a life-saving medical procedure, wouldn’t you want to be attended by someone who got into medical school based on merit, not the circumstances of their birth? It might sound like a no-brainer, but unfortunately, legacy admissions is still a practice that is still alive and well at many elite schools. We at Ivy Coach oppose this from a diversity perspective and a practical point of view. And we’d sure like to know why medical schools don’t face any more scrutiny because of it when their college counterparts have!

It’s Time to End Medical School Legacy Admission

As Christoph Baker writes in an op-ed for Inside Higher Ed entitled “Excise Legacy Admissions,” “While the ills of legacy admissions have been well recognized in the undergraduate sphere, they have failed to be appreciated in medical school admissions. Of the nation’s top 100 universities, 75 have been known to use legacy admissions. While readers may believe that they are only used in undergraduate admissions, medical schools are equally if not more culpable. Even medical schools such as Johns Hopkins, which famously eliminated legacy admissions in 2014 [sic], continue to ask applicants if they have relatives who attended or are employed by the School of Medicine. They state that this information is not used to determine interviews or acceptances. Nevertheless, concerns remain about the use of this information, who has access to it and the message it sends to applicants.”

We echo Mr. Baker’s sentiments. Hey hey, ho ho, legacy admission has got to go — not just at the undergraduate level but at the graduate level as well and, especially, to America’s medical schools. Our nation’s future batches of physicians should be a diverse and highly qualified group to take on the world’s medical problems as their own. No medical school applicant should have an edge in the admissions process — an edge to become a doctor — because their mom or dad happened to go to the institution. This might have been thought of as okay in the 1950s. Not in 2025.

American Medical Association Officially Opposes Legacy Admissions in Med Schools

That’s why we at Ivy Coach were very pleased to learn the news that the American Medical Association came out against legacy admissions in the med school application process. As Steph Weber reports for Medscape: 

“The set of policy changes may place added pressure on medical schools to cease preferential admissions and begin implementing more sustainable measures to attract and maintain diverse student bodies. While several states have introduced bills to ban college legacy admissions and some high-profile medical schools, including Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, have moved away from the practice in recent years, an estimated 25% of public colleges and universities still consider applicants’ associations with donors and alumni.”

Huh? 25% of public colleges and universities practice legacy admissions? Surely, that grates against the American fabric of meritocracy. In fact, we’d take it a step further: it’s unlawful, a violation of our tax code (26 U.S. Code § 170 to be precise)! 

At Ivy Coach, we applaud the American Medical Association for its bold stance against legacy admissions. This is a significant step forward in addressing this persistent issue. It gives us hope that change is on the horizon.