I understand that Congressman Bowman and Senator Merkley have introduced the Fair College Admissions for Students Act to get rid of legacy admissions and promote equity in the college admissions process.
Specifically, this bill would:
Amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to prohibit institutions of higher education participating in Federal student aid programs from giving admissions preference to students with legacy or donor status.
Grant the U.S. Secretary of Education the ability to waive the legacy preference prohibition for an award year for Historically Black College and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal College or Universities (TCUs), and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). To receive this waiver, the institution must demonstrate that its use of legacy preference is in the best interest of historically underrepresented students.
All students deserve an equitable opportunity to gain admissions to institutions of higher education. Legacy admissions can take up to 10 to 25 percent of available slots at top universities. Some estimates indicate that applying as a legacy student can double to quadruple one’s chances of getting into a highly selective university. This is not fair!
It’s time for legacy admissions to go. Please sign on as a co-sponsor to this bill right away. Thanks. I understand that Congressman Bowman and Senator Merkley have introduced the Fair College Admissions for Students Act to get rid of legacy admissions and promote equity in the college admissions process.
Specifically, this bill would:
Amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to prohibit institutions of higher education participating in Federal student aid programs from giving admissions preference to students with legacy or donor status.
Grant the U.S. Secretary of Education the ability to waive the legacy preference prohibition for an award year for Historically Black College and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal College or Universities (TCUs), and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). To receive this waiver, the institution must demonstrate that its use of legacy preference is in the best interest of historically underrepresented students.
All students deserve an equitable opportunity to gain admissions to institutions of higher education. Legacy admissions can take up to 10 to 25 percent of available slots at top universities. Some estimates indicate that applying as a legacy student can double to quadruple one’s chances of getting into a highly selective university. This is not fair!
It’s time for legacy admissions to go. Please sign on as a co-sponsor to this bill right away. Thanks.
First sent on July 5, 2023 by Jess Craven
