Legacy admissions remains in the spotlight. But accurate data on the subject is elusive.

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Boston University’s student newspaper last month reported seemingly contradictory statements from the administration about the selective private institution’s use of legacy preferences in admissions.

Colin Riley, a university spokesperson, told The Daily Free Press and later confirmed in an email to Higher Ed Dive that it “never had a policy” under which alumni’s children enjoy an admissions advantage.

But at the same time, he also told the student press the university hadn’t considered legacy status “in several years.”

Which is it? Did the university never, or ever, account for legacy affiliation?

Riley did not respond to multiple follow-up emails seeking clarity on the institution’s practices. And further muddling the matter, Boston University reported in two currently posted, public-facing datasets that it does consider alumni connections. 

Moving forward, the university will indicate in one of those databases, the annually filed Common Data Set, that it does not consider alumni relationships, Riley said. He did not say whether the university would change its reporting to the other data set, which the U.S. Department of Education maintains.

The confusion around legacy preferences is not isolated to Boston University. Other colleges have publicly reported they consider alumni connections in making admissions decisions — only to later say they do not.

Colleges may not define the practice the same either. Are only the children of alumni considered legacy applicants? Or do their other relatives — like a grandchild or a nephew — also gain an advantage? 

A lack of consistent data complicates research efforts, particularly at a time when criticism against legacy admissions has intensified. 

Some policymakers, pundits and even college leaders have campaigned to end the practice since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down race-conscious admissions this summer. They argue the ruling will further push historically marginalized students out of higher education and say legacy status gives an unfair edge to wealthy and White applicants.

If legacy admissions is a problem necessitating a ban, then it’s one that no one can fully wrap their heads around at the moment given the murky data.

An incomplete picture

Legacy preferences have long been veiled in secrecy. Even if a college reports that it considers alumni ties, the public generally doesn’t know to what extent. At the same time, it’s true that most colleges have no need for legacy policies, as they accept a majority or all of their applicants.

Still, rare glimpses into legacy practices have captured public attention. The Supreme Court case unearthed findings that Harvard University applicants with legacy ties were nearly six times more likely to secure admission than those without a family connection.

Researchers who studied admissions practices of top-ranked colleges like Harvard have suggested that ditching systems favoring the affluent, including legacy, would bolster socioeconomic diversity on campuses.

The Office of Admissions and Financial Aid at Harvard University.

A student enters Harvard University’s Office of Admissions and Financial Aid in 2006. The Ivy League institution has been criticized for the share of legacy students it admits.

Glen Cooper via Getty Images

 

“It’s absolutely shameful that there are still colleges, especially publics, that are still providing this advantage,” said James Murphy, a vocal legacy admissions critic and deputy director of higher education policy at Education Reform Now, a progressive think tank. 

Murphy has scanned hundreds of colleges’ Common Data Sets, or CDS, in his research on the subject. It’s not an easy chunk of data to parse. Each college has its own profile, so there’s no aggregated CDS information on legacy preferences. 

A headshot of James Murphy

James Murphy, deputy director of higher education policy at think tank Education Reform Now

Permission granted by James Murphy

 

Colleges also err in this reporting, Murphy said. They might leave sections of the CDS blank or information on it might change year to year, he said. 

Last year, the University of Connecticut said on its CDS that it considers alumni relationships in admissions, though a spokesperson at the time told Higher Ed Dive that was merely a reporting mistake.

Common Data Sets can also lack context. Consider a case at New York University, a selective private nonprofit institution.

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