On Sept. 30, 2024, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1780 which banned the advantage that legacy holders have in the admissions process for private nonprofit colleges. The idea behind AB 1780 is to ensure that students are not being admitted to colleges due to their relationships, but rather their own skills and merit. According to Newsom, he believes that, “In California, everyone should be able to get ahead through merit, skill, and hard work.” The effects of AB 1780 also reach to the graduate and professional levels.
AB 1780 will take into place on Sept. 1, 2025. Universities will have to file an annual report that essentially lets the California State Legislature and Department of Justice know if they are following AB 1780. This report will analyze the differences between the admission rates between those who are legacy and who are not legacy.
There have been some mixed reactions among the colleges about this. According to the Los Angeles Times, USC has said in an email, “All admitted students meet our high academic standards through a contextualized holistic review that values each student’s lived experience, considers how they will contribute to the vibrancy of our campus, thrive in our community, benefit from a USC education and fulfill the commitments of our unifying values.” On a different note, a spokeswoman from Stanford said that they would be “continuing to review its admission policies” until Sept. 1st. Harvey Mudd and Santa Clara have both agreed to AB 1780 as well.
Some people worry that these private institutions will not follow AB 1780, because there is no penalty or fine to those that violate it. Phil Ting, the Assemblymember who proposed AB 1780, believes that the bill should have included penalties for violating the bill. However, he still believes that it will promote “greater access” to higher education.
This is not the first time California has eliminated legacy status in the admission process. In 1998, the UC system removed the preference for legacy admits. California has continued this trend of trying to increase access to higher education for everyone by providing 2 years of community college for free. These students are then able to transfer to a 4-year university if they desire, to pursue their education at a UC.
There have been several other states that have been making moves to ban legacy admissions at their public colleges. This year, it was Virginia and Illinois. Three years ago, it was Colorado. Perhaps, this is a shift to allowing more diversity in education, only time will tell.
