Legacy admissions could be next target after Supreme Court strikes down affirmative action at colleges

BOSTON -- With affirmative action struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court, college and universities await guidance from the Department of Education on how to go about admissions and diversity.

College counseling experts tell WBZ-TV they expect schools to continue to seek out diversity, but they may have to get creative in how they do that. It could come during questions in the essay process, or students could see colleges turning to programs that blindly access the socio-economic status of their student body. 

Joan Casey is the president of Educational Advocates College Consulting. She says the University of Florida has not been allowed to use race during the admissions process for years. Instead, she says they will use these types of programs to get a scope of their student body.

"Diversity isn't just race. It's gender, socioeconomics, it's disability. . . but we tend to think of it as solely race," Casey said. "I think college admissions people see the value of having all kinds of students. I would recommend that students of color not feel discouraged by this ruling. I feel like they should do what they were going to do before."

Now that affirmative action was struck down by the Supreme Court, some state legislators are taking aim at legacy admissions. There are bills in the House and the Senate aimed at stopping colleges from giving a boost to applicants if their relatives are alumni.

"I don't know how you can ban race conscience admissions and not think about a challenge to legacy admissions," adds Casey.

"Legacy admissions are admitting a person based off their family connection," explains Senator Lydia Edwards, who is behind the state senate bill to end legacy admissions, "Legacy preferences is what blocks a lot of people from getting into colleges and universities. Some Ivy League institutions having 35% of their students being legacy preferences, and they don't have 35% people of color, so it wasn't affirmative action."

Casey admits there are legacy students who are people of color, but she says in 2023 the majority of legacy admission students are white.

"If it wasn't for affirmative action busting these colleges open, we wouldn't be seeing diversity," says Senator Edwards, "[Legacy admissions] have nothing to do with your qualifications or what you bring for diversity, because your parents went there, and you are like your parents. We have public schools in Massachusetts with legacy preferences, and of course private institutions as well. State institutions are often first-time people going to college."

The state senate legacy admissions bill was just heard, and is now headed to committee. Senator Edwards believes the supreme court decision could expedite action on the bill.