Wesleyan University has announced that it will no longer give any preference in its application review process to applicants whose parents or grandparents attended the university. For context on why Wesleyan University is getting rid of legacy admissions preferences, which it rarely even practiced, and why other selective colleges will soon follow, watch my below video “The End is Near for Legacy Admissions” from April. Wesleyan’s own president, Michael Roth, has admitted that this change is “low hanging fruit” for his institution.
Interestingly, while legacy preferences get most of the headlines, far more students of current staff members and big donors get into selective colleges based on their current familial connections to colleges and/or potential to cut big checks respectively than do children and grandchildren of alumni. Yet, few, if any, selective college leaders – including Roth – have called for the end to preferences for children of current employees or current or potential big donors to their institutions.
