California has become the fourth state to ban legacy admissions in the college application process, a practice that has long been criticized as favoring white or wealthy students based on their familial alumni connections.

“In California, everyone should be able to get ahead through merit, skill, and hard work,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a Monday statement. “The California Dream shouldn’t be accessible to just a lucky few, which is why we’re opening the door to higher education wide enough for everyone, fairly.”

The decision affects private and nonprofit universities. The University of California system eliminated legacy admission preferences in 1998, according to Newsom’s office.

  • The Picard Maneuver@lemmy.world
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    15 days ago

    This should be done everywhere. No students who would have otherwise made the cut should be bumped off the list just because other students have connections. The application process should be blind and fair.

  • breadsmasher@lemmy.world
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    15 days ago

    inb4 conservatives whine about how this is somehow “white culture erosion” or similar horseshit

  • chuckleslord@lemmy.world
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    15 days ago

    Illinois, Maryland, Colorado, and Virginia are the other 4. No idea why this article says “fourth”, California is the fifth.

  • john89@lemmy.ca
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    15 days ago

    Didn’t even know ‘legacy admissions’ were a thing.

    Higher education is truly a scam.

    • BertramDitore@lemm.ee
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      14 days ago

      Oh yeah, it’s how you get entire families who went to Harvard, even the obviously unintelligent ones.

      I have some friends who are professors at Ivy League universities, who also teach in American medium-security prisons on their own time, and they have repeatedly told me that the prisoners are better students.

      I’m not saying that’s because of legacy admissions, but it’s also not not because of legacy admissions.