The Practice of Legacy Admissions

We at Ivy Coach have long called for the abolishment of the practice of offering preferential treatment in admissions to the progeny of alumni. And while we are deeply heartened by Johns Hopkins University’s recent proclamation that the school has eliminated legacy admission, we believe in the creed of President … 

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Ending the Legacy Advantage

The Editorial Board of The New York Times recently penned a piece calling for an end to the practice of offering preferential treatment to legacies in the college admission process. As we’ve long championed ending legacy admissions, we sure did like the editorial — and particularly because the editorial board … 

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Preferential Treatment of Legacy Applicants

If you’re a regular reader of our college admissions blog, you know where we at Ivy Coach stand on the issue of legacy admission: we have called for an end to the practice of offering preferential treatment to the children and grandchildren of a school’s alumni base. For years from … 

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The Legacy Advantage in Admissions

Do legacy applicants have an advantage in the admissions process at the University of Pennsylvania? You bet they do. Among Early Decision admits to the Class of 2022, 25% were the sons, daughters, and grandchildren of Penn alumni. That’s a quarter of all ED admits…that’s a whole lot! And why … 

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Why Colleges Value Legacy Applicants

Legacy admission — the practice of offering preferential treatment to the progeny of a school’s alumni base — is unfair, it’s unjust, and it’s been our aim at Ivy Coach to make it an anachronism. We’d also add it’s a violation of law, specifically of 26 U.S. Code § 170. Simply … 

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Legacy Admission Violates Tax Law

Many argue that legacy admission, the practice by which colleges give preferential treatment to the progeny of alumni (and especially to the progeny of alumni donors), is unfair. Many argue that the practice favors the wealthy, the privileged — all to the detriment of middle and low-income young people who … 

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