The 2026 report by James S. Murphy finds legacy admissions have declined sharply at most colleges over the last decade, but remain common at elite, highly selective institutions. Fewer than one in four four‑year colleges reported considering legacy status in 2024, while 57% of the most selective schools still do. Legacy preferences are concentrated where admission is most competitive and critics argue they perpetuate inequality; state bans exist but national reform has stalled.
New Report: Legacy Admissions Fall — But Elite Colleges Still Favor Alumni Relatives
Legacy preferences have been on the wane across the past decade, but many elite colleges still cling to the practice of giving an admission advantage to the relatives of alumni.getty
Legacy preferences in college admissions have declined sharply at most institutions over the past decade, but many of the nation's most selective colleges continue to give alumni relatives a measurable advantage, according to a new analysis.
Key Findings
James S. Murphy, a senior fellow at Class Action, examined federal and public data covering more than 1,700 four‑year colleges and universities in his report, Circling the Wagons of Privilege: Legacy Admissions in 2026. Murphy found that the share of four‑year colleges reporting that they consider legacy status in admissions dropped by more than half since 2015. In 2015 nearly half of respondents to the Common Data Set said legacy status played a role; by 2024, IPEDS data show fewer than one in four four‑year colleges did so.
When all higher‑education institutions — including two‑year colleges — are counted, roughly 7% now report giving an advantage to applicants related to alumni. In about half of U.S. states, no public colleges report factoring legacy status into admissions decisions.
Where Legacy Preferences Persist
The decline is uneven. The most selective institutions are far more likely to continue using legacy preferences: among schools with acceptance rates of 25% or lower, 57% still reported giving legacies an edge in 2024. At the most prominent universities, the advantage can be stark — Murphy reports that children of alumni at Harvard are nearly six times as likely to be admitted as otherwise similar nonlegacy applicants.
Legacy preferences are less common at schools with higher acceptance rates: institutions admitting 26–50% of applicants reported legacy considerations 33% of the time; those admitting 51–75% reported it 27% of the time; and among the least selective private colleges (admitting more than 75%), 17% apply a legacy preference.
Politics, Public Opinion, and Reform
“Although the Trump administration is at war with elite universities, one area where the president of the United States and the presidents of many highly selective institutions are perfectly aligned is legacy admissions,” Murphy writes, arguing that both sides tolerate legacy preferences despite public talk about merit and fairness.
Public opposition appears high: Murphy notes a growing majority of Americans view legacy preferences as unfair, which may explain why some colleges have stopped publicly reporting the share of admitted students who are legacies. Several states — including California, Maryland, Virginia, Illinois and Colorado — have enacted measures limiting legacy preferences, but anti‑legacy legislation has stalled in many other states and at the federal level.
Why This Matters
Legacy preferences concentrate advantages in wealthy families and can amplify inequality at institutions where competition for admission is fiercest. Murphy concludes that eliminating legacy preferences would not solve all problems in higher education, but it would be a clear step toward aligning elite colleges with commonly held standards of fairness.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com and summarizes Murphy's 2026 report.
Help us improve.
