Colleges that Consider Legacy Status
So-called "legacy applicants," those who have familial ties to an institution, are still given a measurable edge in the admissions process at many elite U.S. colleges and universities. Some institutions such as Stanford and UNC only take “primary legacy” status into consideration—where one or both of the applicant’s parents are alumni. Yet, most schools will also grant favor to "secondary legacies" who claim a grandparent, sibling, or other non-parental familial affiliation to the school. Only a handful of elite schools have shed the practice entirely from their admissions formula. These include MIT, Caltech, and Cooper Union. While controversial, being a legacy can provide a massive boost to your odds of acceptance. For example, the admission rate for Harvard legacies is over five times that of non-legacies. College Transitions’ list below of which colleges consider legacy status will inform you as to whether "keeping it in the family" will actually provide you with an advantage at your prospective schools.
*Data collected from institution websites and Common Data Set (CDS) forms.
Table updated August 2019.
| Institution | Legacy Status |
|---|---|
| Agnes Scott College | Considered |
| Albion College | Considered |
| Alfred University | Considered |
| Allegheny College | Considered |
| Alma College | Considered |
| American University | Considered |
| Amherst College | Considered |
| Appalachian State University | Considered |
| Arizona State University | Not Considered |
| Auburn University | Important |
| Augustana College (IL) | Considered |
| Austin College | Considered |
| Babson College | Considered |
| Bard College | Considered |
| Barnard College | Considered |
| Bates College | Considered |
| Baylor University | Considered |
| Belmont University | Considered |
| Beloit College | Considered |
| Bennington College | Not Considered |
| Bentley University | Considered |
| Berea College | Not Considered |
| Berry College | Not Considered |
| Birmingham Southern College | Considered |
| Boston College | Important |
| Boston University | Important |
| Bowdoin College | Considered |
| Bradley University | Considered |
| Brandeis University | Considered |
| Brigham Young University | Not Considered |
| Brown University | Considered |
| Bryant University | Considered |
| Bryn Mawr College | Considered |
| Bucknell University | Considered |
| Butler University | Considered |
| California Institute of Technology | Considered |
| California Poly, San Luis Obispo | Not Considered |
| Calvin College | Not Considered |
| Canisius College | Considered |
| Carleton College | Important |
| Carnegie Mellon University | Important |
| Case Western Reserve University | Considered |
| Catholic University | Considered |
| Centre College | Considered |
| Champlain College | Considered |
| Chapman University | Considered |
| Christopher Newport University | Considered |
| Claremont McKenna College | Considered |
| Clark University | Considered |
| Clemson University | Considered |
| Coe College | Considered |
| Colby College | Considered |
| Colgate University | Considered |
| College of Charleston | Considered |
| College of the Atlantic | Considered |
| College of the Holy Cross | Considered |
| College of the Ozarks | Considered |
| College of William and Mary | Considered |
| Colorado College | Considered |
| Colorado School of Mines | Considered |
| Colorado State University | Considered |
| Columbia University | Considered |
| Connecticut College | Considered |
| Cooper Union | Not Considered |
| Cornell College | Considered |
| Cornell University | Considered |
| Creighton University | Not Considered |
| CUNY, Baruch College | Not Considered |
| CUNY, Brooklyn College | Not Considered |
| CUNY, City College | Not Considered |
| CUNY, Hunter College | Not Considered |
| Dartmouth College | Considered |
| Davidson College | Considered |
| Denison University | Considered |
| DePaul University | Considered |
| DePauw University | Considered |
| Dickinson College | Important |
| Drake University | Not Considered |
| Drew University | Considered |
| Drexel University | Considered |
| Duke University | Considered |
| Duquesne University | Considered |
| Earlham College | Not Considered |
| East Carolina University | Considered |
| Eckerd College | Considered |
| Elizabethtown College | Considered |
| Elon University | Important |
| Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University | Considered |
| Emerson College | Considered |
| Emory University | Considered |
| Evergreen State College | Not Considered |
| Fairfield University | Considered |
| Florida Atlantic University | Not Considered |
| Florida Gulf Coast University | Considered |
| Florida Institute of Technology | Considered |
| Florida International University | Considered |
| Florida Southern College | Considered |
| Florida State University | Not Considered |
| Fordham University | Considered |
| Franklin & Marshall College | Considered |
| Furman University | Considered |
| George Mason University | Considered |
| George Washington University | Considered |
| Georgetown College | Not Considered |
| Georgetown University | Considered |
| Georgia College | Considered |
| Georgia Institute of Technology | Considered |
| Georgia State University | Not Considered |
| Gettysburg College | Considered |
| Gonzaga University | Considered |
| Goucher College | Considered |
| Grinnell College | Considered |
| Gustavus Adolphus College | Considered |
| Hamilton College | Considered |
| Hampshire College | Considered |
| Harvard University | Considered |
| Harvey Mudd College | Considered |
| Haverford College | Considered |
| Hendrix College | Not Considered |
| High Point University | Considered |
| Hiram College | Considered |
| Hobart and William Smith Colleges | Considered |
| Hofstra University | Considered |
| Hollins University | Considered |
| Hood College | Important |
| Hope College | Considered |
| Howard University | Considered |
| Illinois Institute of Technology | Considered |
| Illinois Wesleyan University | Considered |
| Indiana University | Considered |
| Ithaca College | Considered |
| James Madison University | Considered |
| Johns Hopkins University | Considered |
| Juniata College | Considered |
| Kalamazoo College | Considered |
| Kenyon College | Considered |
| Kettering University | Not Considered |
| Knox College | Considered |
| Lafayette College | Considered |
| Lake Forest College | Considered |
| Lawrence University | Considered |
| Lehigh University | Considered |
| Lewis & Clark College | Considered |
| Louisiana State University | Considered |
| Loyola Marymount University | Considered |
| Loyola University Chicago | Considered |
| Loyola University Maryland | Considered |
| Macalester College | Considered |
| Marietta College | Considered |
| Marist College | Considered |
| Marlboro College | Not Considered |
| Marquette University | Considered |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Not Considered |
| McDaniel College | Considered |
| Messiah College | Considered |
| Miami University | Considered |
| Michigan State University | Not Considered |
| Middlebury College | Considered |
| Millsaps College | Not Considered |
| Milwaukee School of Engineering | Considered |
| Mississippi State University | Not Considered |
| Morehouse College | Considered |
| Mount Holyoke College | Considered |
| Muhlenberg College | Considered |
| New College of Florida | Considered |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology | Considered |
| New York University | Considered |
| North Carolina State University | Considered |
| Northeastern University | Not Considered |
| Northwestern University | Considered |
| Oberlin College | Considered |
| Occidental College | Considered |
| Oglethorpe University | Considered |
| Ohio State University | Not Considered |
| Ohio University | Considered |
| Oregon State University | Not Considered |
| Penn State University | Considered |
| Pepperdine University | Considered |
| Pitzer College | Considered |
| Pomona College | Considered |
| Princeton University | Considered |
| Providence College | Considered |
| Purdue University | Considered |
| Quinnipiac University | Considered |
| Ramapo College of New Jersey | Considered |
| Reed College | Considered |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Considered |
| Rhodes College | Important |
| Rice University | Considered |
| Ripon College | Considered |
| Roanoke College | Considered |
| Rochester Institute of Technology | Considered |
| Rockhurst University | Considered |
| Rollins College | Considered |
| Rutgers University | Not Considered |
| Saint John's University (MN) | Important |
| Saint Joseph's University | Considered |
| Saint Louis University | Considered |
| Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame | Considered |
| Saint Michael's College | Considered |
| Samford University | Considered |
| San Diego State University | Not Considered |
| San Francisco State University | Not Considered |
| Santa Clara University | Important |
| Sarah Lawrence College | Considered |
| Scripps College | Considered |
| Seattle University | Considered |
| Seton Hall University | Not Considered |
| Sewanee: University of the South | Considered |
| Siena College | Considered |
| Simmons College | Considered |
| Skidmore College | Considered |
| Smith College | Considered |
| Southern Methodist University | Considered |
| Southwestern University | Important |
| Spelman College | Considered |
| St. Edward's University | Considered |
| St. John's College, Annapolis | Considered |
| St. John's College, Santa Fe | Considered |
| St. Lawrence University | Considered |
| St. Mary's College of Maryland | Considered |
| St. Olaf College | Considered |
| Stanford University | Considered |
| Stevens Institute of Technology | Considered |
| Stonehill College | Considered |
| SUNY, Binghamton University | Considered |
| SUNY, Stony Brook University | Considered |
| SUNY, University at Buffalo | Not Considered |
| SUNY, College of Environmental Science and Forestry | Considered |
| SUNY, Geneseo | Considered |
| SUNY, Maritime College | Considered |
| SUNY, New Paltz | Not Considered |
| SUNY, Oneonta | Not Considered |
| SUNY, Oswego | Considered |
| SUNY, Purchase College | Not Considered |
| SUNY, University at Albany | Considered |
| Susquehanna University | Important |
| Swarthmore College | Considered |
| Syracuse University | Considered |
| Temple University | Considered |
| Texas A&M University | Not Considered |
| Texas Christian University | Important |
| Texas Tech University | Not Considered |
| The College of New Jersey | Considered |
| The College of Wooster | Considered |
| Thomas Aquinas College | Not Considered |
| Towson University | Not Considered |
| Trinity College | Considered |
| Trinity University | Considered |
| Truman State University | Considered |
| Tufts University | Considered |
| Tulane University | Considered |
| Union College | Considered |
| United States Air Force Academy | Considered |
| United States Coast Guard Academy | Considered |
| United States Merchant Marine Academy | Considered |
| United States Military Academy | Not Considered |
| United States Naval Academy | Considered |
| University of Alabama | Considered |
| University of Arizona | Not Considered |
| University of California, Berkeley | Not Considered |
| University of California, Davis | Not Considered |
| University of California, Irvine | Not Considered |
| University of California, Los Angeles | Not Considered |
| University of California, Riverside | Not Considered |
| University of California, San Diego | Not Considered |
| University of California, Santa Barbara | Not Considered |
| University of California, Santa Cruz | Not Considered |
| University of Central Florida | Considered |
| University of Chicago | Considered |
| University of Cincinnati | Not Considered |
| University of Colorado Boulder | Considered |
| University of Connecticut, Storrs | Considered |
| University of Dallas | Considered |
| University of Dayton | Important |
| University of Delaware | Considered |
| University of Denver | Considered |
| University of Evansville | Important |
| University of Florida | Considered |
| University of Georgia | Not Considered |
| University of Hawaii at Manoa | Not Considered |
| University of Houston | Not Considered |
| University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign | Not Considered |
| University of Iowa | Not Considered |
| University of Kansas | Not Considered |
| University of Kentucky | Considered |
| University of Louisville | Not Considered |
| University of Maine | Not Considered |
| University of Mary Washington | Considered |
| University of Maryland | Considered |
| University of Maryland, Baltimore County | Not Considered |
| University of Massachusetts Amherst | Considered |
| University of Miami | Considered |
| University of Michigan | Considered |
| University of Minnesota | Considered |
| University of Mississippi | Not Considered |
| University of Missouri, Columbia | Not Considered |
| University of Missouri, Kansas City | Not Considered |
| University of Montana | Not Considered |
| University of Nebraska-Lincoln | Not Considered |
| University of New Hampshire | Considered |
| University of North Carolina at Asheville | Considered |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Considered |
| University of North Carolina at Charlotte | Not Considered |
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro | Not Considered |
| University of North Carolina at Wilmington | Considered |
| University of North Texas | Not Considered |
| University of Notre Dame | Important |
| University of Oklahoma | Considered |
| University of Oregon | Not Considered |
| University of Pennsylvania | Considered |
| University of Pittsburgh | Considered |
| University of Portland | Considered |
| University of Puget Sound | Important |
| University of Redlands | Considered |
| University of Rhode Island | Considered |
| University of Richmond | Considered |
| University of Rochester | Considered |
| University of San Diego | Important |
| University of San Francisco | Considered |
| University of Scranton | Considered |
| University of South Carolina | Not Considered |
| University of South Florida | Not Considered |
| University of Southern California | Considered |
| University of St. Thomas (MN) | Considered |
| University of Tennessee | Important |
| University of Texas at Austin | Not Considered |
| University of Texas at Dallas | Not Considered |
| University of Tulsa | Considered |
| University of Utah | Considered |
| University of Vermont | Considered |
| University of Virginia | Considered |
| University of Washington | Not Considered |
| University of Wisconsin | Considered |
| Ursinus College | Considered |
| Vanderbilt University | Considered |
| Vassar College | Considered |
| Villanova University | Considered |
| Virginia Tech | Considered |
| Wabash College | Considered |
| Wake Forest University | Considered |
| Warren Wilson College | Not Considered |
| Washington & Jefferson College | Considered |
| Washington and Lee University | Considered |
| Washington State University | Not Considered |
| Washington University | Considered |
| Wellesley College | Considered |
| Wentworth Institute of Technology | Considered |
| Wesleyan University | Considered |
| West Chester University of Pennsylvania | Not Considered |
| Westmont College | Considered |
| Wheaton College (IL) | Considered |
| Wheaton College (MA) | Important |
| Whitman College | Considered |
| Whittier College | Considered |
| Williams College | Important |
| Wittenberg University | Considered |
| Wofford College | Considered |
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Considered |
| Xavier University | Considered |
| Yale University | Considered |
| Yeshiva University | Not Considered |
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