Wesleyan University Ends Legacy Admissions In Light Of Supreme Court Ruling On Affirmative Action

Wesleyan University announced Wednesday it is ending its legacy admissions policy following the Supreme Court’s controversial ruling ending affirmative action.

University President Michael S. Roth said in his statement on the decision that while legacy status has played a “negligible role” in the university’s admissions for many years, the school is officially ending the policy.

Legacy admissions and other practices that favor students from privileged backgrounds in college admissions have faced greater scrutiny since the Supreme Court’s controversial ruling.

Lawmakers such as President Joe Biden and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have criticized the unfair advantages afforded to wealthy and privileged students and they aren’t alone. A recent Pew Research survey found that 75% of Americans believe legacy status shouldn’t be a factor in college admissions.

Whether more schools will follow Wesleyan’s example is uncertain, but the decision to end legacy admissions may not end up being made by admissions offices. President Biden said he would ask the Department of Education to examine the practice of legacy admissions and multiple civil rights groups have filed lawsuits to end the practice at Harvard.

Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal the executive director of Lawyers for Civil Rights who filed a complaint against Harvard said: “Your family’s last name and the size of your bank account are not a measure of merit, and should have no bearing on the college admissions process.” He’s absolutely right.