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The DEI No One’s Talking About: Legacy Admissions
Behind the scenes, legacy admissions continue to serve as a backdoor for the privileged—a system that perpetuates inequality and undermines meritocracy.
The DEI No One’s Talking About: Legacy Admissions
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are buzzwords that have dominated conversations in academia, corporate spaces, and beyond. Yet, one glaring practice undermines these values while quietly persisting in the most elite institutions in the country: legacy admissions. While Ivy League schools champion public-facing commitments to diversity and inclusion, behind the scenes, legacy admissions continue to serve as a backdoor for the privileged—a system that perpetuates inequality and undermines meritocracy.
What Are Legacy Admissions?
Legacy admissions refer to preferential treatment in the college admissions process given to the children of alumni or, in some cases, donors with deep pockets. The logic behind this practice is rooted in institutional loyalty, financial benefit, and maintaining tradition. But what legacy admissions really do is reinforce systems of privilege, disproportionately benefiting white, wealthy families at the…
