Virginia General Assembly bans legacy admissions at public universities
Illustration by Killian Goodale-Porter.
Ella VanGundy, Contributing Writer
Peggy Stansbery, Executive Editor
Katie Farthing, Managing Editor
Virginia’s General Assembly recently passed a bill to ban legacy admissions, the practice where universities give preferential treatment to applicants with parents that are alumni or donors of the school. The bill was unanimously supported by both the House and the Senate.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin will most likely enact the bill as he believes “admission to Virginia’s universities and colleges should be based on merit,” according to the Associated Press.
The Supreme Court banned race-conscious admissions in public universities on June 29, 2023, which caused Virginia to reevaluate the legality of legacy admissions, according to an article by The New York Times.
VCU is “committed to inclusive admissions practices and does not consider race or legacy status as a factor when determining admission to the university,” according to its website.
Briley Peacher, a forensic science student, said she believes admission should be “based on your own self and how you perform and your application.”
Maddie Rees, an English student, said she disagrees with legacy admissions because admissions should be based on oneself, not where their parents went to school.
“I feel it’s kind of dumb,” Rees said. “Why should you let someone in just because their parents went there? It should be based solely on academics, it should be based on you. I feel like your parents shouldn’t have an influence if they went there.”
Max Kadunce, a kinetic imaging student, has mixed feelings regarding legacy admissions.
“I think it’s better if you get in on your own merit,” Kadunce said. “But if your parents went and that makes it easier, I think that’s okay.”
Suzanne Clavet, the director of news & media and university spokesperson for William & Mary, stated in an email that the school considers different factors in its admissions process, which she described as “competitive.”
“Legacy status is one indicator considered, alongside others available to all applicants such as interviewing (in-person or virtually) or visiting campus,” Clavet stated.
Bethaine Glover, the deputy university spokesperson for the University of Virginia, stated in an email that 15% of UVA’s class of 2027 had parents who graduated from the university.
“UVA has evaluated each candidate for undergraduate admission as an individual with a unique story and combination of strengths, rather than through weighted methods and checkboxes,” Glover stated.
