{"id":1154,"date":"2024-05-10T15:21:57","date_gmt":"2024-05-10T19:21:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/journal.sanford.duke.edu\/?post_type=article&p=1154"},"modified":"2024-08-23T15:29:50","modified_gmt":"2024-08-23T19:29:50","slug":"public-opinion-analysis-banning-legacy-admission-process-in-higher-education-2","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/journal.sanford.duke.edu\/article\/public-opinion-analysis-banning-legacy-admission-process-in-higher-education-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Public Opinion Analysis \u2013 Banning Legacy Admission Process in Higher Education"},"content":{"rendered":"

Protecting Diverse Admissions in Higher Education<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Diversity in higher education is a big concern, more than ever following the 2023 United States Supreme Court decision to end affirmative action.[1]<\/a> Admissions of racial-ethnic students in colleges and universities could decrease because of Supreme Court rulings in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc.<\/em> v. Harvard<\/em> and Students for Fair Admissions<\/em> v. UNC<\/em>. In these cases, the Supreme Court ruled that race-conscious affirmative action is a constitutional violation of the 14th Amendment\u2019s Equal Protection Clause and is now banned from usage in higher education admissions. Data from states that banned race-conscious affirmative action (Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma and Washington, and California) before the SCOTUS ruling have experienced a decline in underrepresented minorities admitted to universities[2]<\/a>\ufffc Meanwhile, legacy applicants receive special preference in university and college admissions due to familial relationships to alumni, advancing white, wealthy students[1]<\/a>\ufffc To promote diversity in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling, legislation has been introduced in the 118th Congress to ban the practice of legacy admissions [3]<\/a>\ufffc Legacy admissions is a practice in universities and colleges that gives an unfair advantage to student applicants with familial relationships to alumni. There are multiple instances of public opinion viewing legacy admissions as giving an unfair advantage in the higher education admissions process.<\/p>\n

Americans Broadly Support Banning Legacy Admissions<\/strong><\/p>\n

Most American adults oppose legacy admissions. From 2019 to 2022, the number of adults across the country who believe that legacy admissions should not be a factor in admissions decisions rose from 68% to 75% (Pew Research, 3\/7\/22-3\/13\/22).[4]<\/a> Adults across the country view legacy admissions as unfair, elitist, and an example of systemic racism.[5]<\/a> An August 2023 survey by Data For Progress found that 68% of voters across party lines support banning legacy admissions (Data For Progress, 8\/10\/23-8\/11\/23).[6]<\/a> Most Americans across party lines do not support legacy admissions and would be in favor of legislation to ban the practice.<\/p>\n

The number of people supporting legacy admissions is quite small. Associated Press released a survey that found only 9% of people value family members attending the same university as themselves, and 18% shared that such traditions are somewhat important (AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, 5\/11\/2023-5\/16\/2023).[7]<\/a><\/p>\n

Students against Legacy Admissions in Higher Education<\/strong><\/p>\n

An overwhelming majority of current college students have a negative view of legacy admissions. According to a student survey conducted by Inside Higher Ed, 79% of 2,000 college students polled agree children of alumni should not be given college admission preferences. Within the survey results, 54% of students strongly agree and 25% somewhat agree that institutions should end legacy admissions (Inside Higher Ed, 5\/1\/2023-6\/1\/2023).[8]<\/a><\/p>\n

Overall Conclusion of American Views of Banning Legacy Admissions<\/strong><\/p>\n

The majority of the U.S. public wants to see legacy admissions banned in higher education. \u00a0Survey data suggests that an overwhelming majority of Americans do not favor legacy admissions and wishes to see the practice banned. This is reflected across party lines and presents a possibility of bipartisan collaboration to pass legislation banning legacy admissions. The public would likely support government action to end legacy admissions such as enacting the Fair College Admissions Students Act (FCASA). FCASA would prohibit an institution of higher education that participates in federal student-aid programs from giving preferential treatment in the admissions process to applicants related to donors or alumni of those institutions.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Binkley, Collin, and AP News. 2023. Affirmative action for white people? Legacy college admissions come under renewed scrutiny<\/em>, (July). https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/supreme-court-affirmative-action-legacy-college-admissions-5d6f34a13045752c6a37db67c66c7d63<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> “Long-Run Changes in Underrepresentation After Affirmative Action ….” Accessed October 29, 2023. https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.3102\/0162373720904433<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> “Democrats re-introduce legislation to end legacy admissions in ….” Accessed October 29, 2023. https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/congress\/democrats-re-introduce-legislation-end-legacy-admissions-colleges-rcna96434<\/a><\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Pew Research, \u201cAs courts weigh affirmative action, grades and test scores seen as top factors in college admissions<\/a>.\u201d Conducted 3\/7\/22-3\/13\/22. Sample size: 10,441 U.S. Adults. Question wording: Which of the following should be a (major\/minor\/not) in college admission decisions?<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Bhaskara, Vinay. \u201cWhy Do Legacy College Admissions Still Exist? Accessed October 29, 2023.<\/p>\n

Why Do Legacy College Admissions Still Exist? (forbes.com)<\/a><\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Data For Progress, \u201cEliminating Legacy Admissions Has Bipartisan Support<\/a>.\u201d Conducted 8\/10\/223-8\/11\/23. Sample size: 1,202 voters (margin of error +\/- 3). Question Wording: Do you support or oppose this legislation to ban legacy admissions at colleges and universities?<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs, \u201cMost in US say don\u2019t ban race in college admissions but it\u2019s roll should be small: AP-NORC poll<\/a>.\u201d 3\/11\/23-3\/16\/23. Sample size: 1,680 U.S. adults (margin of error +\/- 3.4). Question Wording: How important should each of the following be when colleges and universities make decisions about admitting students (whether a family member attended)?<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> Insider Higher Ed, \u201cNearly 80 Percent of College Students Want Legacy Admissions Banned<\/a>.\u201d 5\/1\/23-6\/1\/23. Sample size: 2,000 college students. Question Wording: To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement: Children of alumni should not be given college admission preferences.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1135,"template":"","region":[],"policy_area":[8],"topic":[],"class_list":["post-1154","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","policy_area-education","entry"],"yoast_head":"\nPublic Opinion Analysis \u2013 Banning Legacy Admission Process in Higher Education - Sanford Journal of Public Policy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/journal.sanford.duke.edu\/article\/public-opinion-analysis-banning-legacy-admission-process-in-higher-education-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Public Opinion Analysis \u2013 Banning Legacy Admission Process in Higher Education - 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