A new law banning legacy and donor admissions at private California universities, including USC and Stanford — among a handful of schools that admit a significant number of alumni or children of donors — was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday. Those who said the action would promote equal educational opportunity.
“In California, everyone should be able to get ahead through merit, skills and hard work,” Newsom said in a statement. “The California dream should not be accessible only to a lucky few, which is why we are opening the door to higher education fairly to all.”
This law affects the very small number of private institutions in the state that consider family ties in admissions. Others currently adopting this practice include Santa Clara University and Claremont McKenna and Harvey Mudd Colleges.
The new law will take effect September 1, 2025, and will require universities to file an annual report with the Legislature and the Justice Department beginning in June 2026, documenting whether they are following the law or whether they have reimbursed students who are alumni. Given priority in admission. Or donor relations. The report should compare legacy and donor admission rates to other admissions. The Attorney General’s Office would then have the option to bring charges against violators.
USC said Monday it would comply with the law. In an email, the university said: “All admitted students meet our high academic standards through a relevant holistic review that values each student’s experience, considering how they will contribute to the vibrancy of our campus , will thrive in our community, benefiting from USC. Deliver on our commitments to education and our unifying values.”
In response to emailed questions from The Times, a spokesperson said Stanford “will continue to review its admissions policies” until the law takes effect. The spokesperson did not answer questions about whether this meant the university could stop considering legacies and donor status before the law came into effect.
Representatives for Santa Clara and Harvey Mudd did not respond to requests for comment Monday. A spokesperson for Claremont McKenna said the college “will be pleased to comply with this new law” and “did not anticipate it would have a significant impact on our admissions process.”
California State University and the University of California do not give preference in admission to children of alumni or donors. Some private colleges, including Pomona and Occidental, have discontinued this tradition in recent years.
The issue of preferential admission treatment based on family status and wealth attracted renewed opposition After the US Supreme Court’s decision last year caste-based affirmative action Applying to college is unconstitutional.
Virginia and Illinois banned legacy admissions at their public colleges and universities this year. Colorado similarly targeted public institutions with its own ban three years ago.
Although California law makes legacy and donor admissions illegal, it does not specify any punishment or fine for universities that violate it.
An earlier version of the bill, authored by Assemblyman Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), called for severe punishment It would force colleges to pay an amount equal to the amount they receive in Cal Grant payments. The grant program is the state’s main tuition subsidy for low-income students and amounts to millions of dollars at many schools.
“If we value diversity in higher education, we must have a level playing field,” Ting said in a statement Monday. “This means making the college application process more fair and equitable. Hard work, good grades, and a good background should get you a spot in the incoming class—not the size of the check your family can write or who you’re related to.
Despite financial penalties being removed from the law, Ting said in an interview that he believed it would strongly promote “greater access” to higher education. He said he views this legislation as more important than elsewhere because of its scope in a state where there are many high-profile, selective institutions that currently consider family and donor status in admissions.
Maryland also banned such admissions this year, but its most selective school — Johns Hopkins University — stopped the practice several years ago, Ting said.
Citing an example of the need for the law, Ting pointed to 2023 harvard study It found that legacy admissions were a significant part of why students from families in the top 1% of income—those who earn more than $611,000 a year—were five times more likely than their less-affluent peers to get into eight Ivy League schools. times more likely. As well as the University of Chicago, Duke, MIT and Stanford.
An association that represents the five California schools that currently use legacy and donor admissions, the Assn. Independent California Colleges and Universities said Monday that its members are “compliance-driven” and will follow the law.
“As private institutions, we have made it clear that we are uncomfortable with the state’s admission practices in our institutions and the precedent it sets. We’ve also been clear throughout our discussions on this bill that we welcome the opportunity to help ensure people have confidence in an admissions process that is equitable for everyone,” said Kristen Soares, the group’s president.
Under a 2019 state law, which Ting also authored, universities were required to provide a annual report To the state upon inheritance or donor admission. The law – which expires in 2023 – was inspired by the Varsity Blues scandal, which revealed paid admissions to sports for the children of celebrities and other wealthy Americans at elite US schools.
In 2023, USC said it offered admission to 1,791 undergraduate applicants who were donors or relatives of alumni, or about 14.5% of admitted students. At Stanford, the number was 295, representing about 13.6% of admitted students.
At Santa Clara University, it was 38. Claremont McKenna and Harvey Mudd Colleges each offered admission to 15 students who had legacy or donor connections.
In their 2023 report, each of the five institutions said that admitted students with legacy and donor connections meet their admissions standards.
Dozens of other private universities who submitted information to the association. The independent California Colleges and Universities, which sends its data to Sacramento, reported that alumni or donor relationships were not considered in any of their applicant evaluations.
