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 2022.

InstitutionAlumni Relation/Legacy Status
Adelphi UniversityConsidered
Agnes Scott CollegeConsidered
Alfred UniversityNot Considered
Allegheny CollegeConsidered
American UniversityConsidered
Amherst CollegeConsidered
Appalachian State UniversityConsidered
Arizona State UniversityNot Considered
Auburn UniversityConsidered
Austin CollegeNot Considered
Babson CollegeConsidered
Bard CollegeConsidered
Barnard CollegeConsidered
Bates CollegeConsidered
Baylor UniversityConsidered
Belmont UniversityConsidered
Beloit CollegeConsidered
Bennington CollegeNot Considered
Bentley UniversityConsidered
Berea CollegeNot Considered
Binghamton UniversityConsidered
Boston CollegeConsidered
Boston UniversityConsidered
Bowdoin CollegeConsidered
Bradley UniversityConsidered
Brandeis UniversityConsidered
Brigham Young University-ProvoNot Considered
Brown UniversityConsidered
Bryant UniversityConsidered
Bryn Mawr CollegeConsidered
Bucknell UniversityConsidered
Butler UniversityConsidered
Cal Poly, PomonaNot Considered
Cal Poly, San Luis ObispoNot Considered
California Institute of TechnologyNot Considered
California State University, FresnoNot Considered
California State University, FullertonNot Considered
California State University, Long BeachNot Considered
California State University-Los AngelesNot Considered
Carleton CollegeConsidered
Carnegie Mellon UniversityConsidered
Case Western Reserve UniversityConsidered
Centre CollegeConsidered
Chapman UniversityNot Considered
Claremont McKenna CollegeConsidered
Clark UniversityConsidered
Clarkson UniversityConsidered
Clemson UniversityConsidered
Coastal Carolina UniversityConsidered
Colby CollegeConsidered
Colgate UniversityConsidered
College of CharlestonConsidered
College of the Holy CrossConsidered
College of William and MaryConsidered
Colorado CollegeConsidered
Colorado School of MinesConsidered
Colorado State UniversityConsidered
Columbia UniversityConsidered
Connecticut CollegeConsidered
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and ArtNot Considered
Cornell CollegeConsidered
Cornell UniversityConsidered
Creighton UniversityNot Considered
CUNY Bernard M Baruch CollegeNot Considered
CUNY Brooklyn CollegeNot Considered
CUNY City CollegeNot Considered
CUNY Hunter CollegeNot Considered
Dartmouth CollegeConsidered
Davidson CollegeConsidered
Denison UniversityConsidered
DePaul UniversityConsidered
DePauw UniversityConsidered
Dickinson CollegeConsidered
Drew UniversityConsidered
Drexel UniversityConsidered
Duke UniversityConsidered
Duquesne UniversityConsidered
Earlham CollegeNot Considered
East Carolina UniversityConsidered
Eckerd CollegeConsidered
Elon UniversityConsidered
Emerson CollegeConsidered
Emory UniversityConsidered
Fairfield UniversityConsidered
Florida Atlantic UniversityNot Considered
Florida Gulf Coast UniversityNot Considered
Florida Institute of TechnologyConsidered
Florida International UniversityConsidered
Florida Southern CollegeConsidered
Florida State UniversityNot Considered
Fordham UniversityConsidered
Franklin and Marshall CollegeConsidered
Franklin W. Olin College of EngineeringConsidered
Furman UniversityConsidered
George Mason UniversityNot Considered
George Washington UniversityConsidered
Georgetown CollegeNot Considered
Georgetown UniversityConsidered
Georgia CollegeConsidered
Georgia Institute of TechnologyConsidered
Georgia State UniversityNot Considered
Gettysburg CollegeConsidered
Gonzaga UniversityConsidered
Goucher CollegeConsidered
Grinnell CollegeConsidered
Gustavus Adolphus CollegeConsidered
Hamilton CollegeConsidered
Harvard UniversityConsidered
Harvey Mudd CollegeConsidered
Haverford CollegeConsidered
Hendrix CollegeConsidered
High Point UniversityConsidered
Hobart William Smith CollegesConsidered
Hofstra UniversityConsidered
Howard UniversityConsidered
Illinois Institute of TechnologyConsidered
Illinois Wesleyan UniversityConsidered
Indiana University BloomingtonConsidered
Indiana University-Purdue University-IndianapolisNot Considered
Iowa State UniversityNot Considered
Ithaca CollegeConsidered
James Madison UniversityConsidered
Johns Hopkins UniversityNot Considered
Juniata CollegeConsidered
Kalamazoo CollegeConsidered
Kansas State UniversityNot Considered
Kenyon CollegeConsidered
Lafayette CollegeConsidered
Lake Forest CollegeConsidered
Lawrence UniversityConsidered
Lehigh UniversityConsidered
Lewis & Clark CollegeConsidered
Linfield College-McMinnville CampusConsidered
Louisiana State UniversityConsidered
Loyola Marymount UniversityConsidered
Loyola University ChicagoConsidered
Loyola University MarylandConsidered
Macalester CollegeConsidered
Manhattan CollegeConsidered
Marist CollegeConsidered
Marquette UniversityConsidered
Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyNot Considered
Miami UniversityConsidered
Michigan State UniversityConsidered
Michigan Technological UniversityNot Considered
Middlebury CollegeConsidered
Milwaukee School of EngineeringNot Considered
Mississippi State UniversityNot Considered
Morehouse CollegeConsidered
Mount Holyoke CollegeConsidered
Muhlenberg CollegeConsidered
New College of FloridaConsidered
New Jersey Institute of TechnologyConsidered
New York Institute of TechnologyConsidered
New York UniversityConsidered
North Carolina State UniversityConsidered
Northeastern UniversityNot Considered
Northern Arizona UniversityNot Considered
Northwestern UniversityConsidered
Oberlin CollegeConsidered
Occidental CollegeConsidered
Ohio State UniversityNot Considered
Ohio UniversityConsidered
Ohio Wesleyan UniversityConsidered
Oklahoma State UniversityNot Considered
Oregon State UniversityNot Considered
Pennsylvania State University - University ParkConsidered
Pepperdine UniversityConsidered
Pitzer CollegeConsidered
Pomona CollegeNot Considered
Princeton UniversityConsidered
Providence CollegeConsidered
Purdue UniversityNot Considered
Quinnipiac UniversityConsidered
Ramapo College of New JerseyConsidered
Reed CollegeConsidered
Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteConsidered
Rhode Island School of DesignConsidered
Rhodes CollegeConsidered
Rice UniversityConsidered
Rochester Institute of TechnologyConsidered
Rollins CollegeConsidered
Rose-Hulman Institute of TechnologyConsidered
Rutgers University-New BrunswickNot Considered
Saint Johns UniversityConsidered
Saint Mary's CollegeConsidered
Saint Mary's College of CaliforniaConsidered
San Diego State UniversityNot Considered
San Francisco State UniversityNot Considered
San Jose State UniversityNot Considered
Santa Clara UniversityConsidered
Sarah Lawrence CollegeConsidered
Scripps CollegeConsidered
Seattle UniversityConsidered
Seton Hall UniversityNot Considered
Skidmore CollegeConsidered
Smith CollegeConsidered
Soka University of AmericaNot Considered
Southern Methodist UniversityConsidered
Spelman CollegeConsidered
St John's University-New YorkConsidered
St Lawrence UniversityConsidered
St Olaf CollegeConsidered
St. John's College (MD)Considered
St. John's College (NM)Considered
St. Mary's College of MarylandConsidered
Stanford UniversityConsidered
State University of New York at New PaltzNot Considered
Stetson UniversityConsidered
Stevens Institute of TechnologyConsidered
Stony Brook UniversityConsidered
SUNY at AlbanyConsidered
SUNY at Purchase CollegeNot Considered
SUNY College at GeneseoConsidered
SUNY College at OswegoConsidered
SUNY College at PotsdamNot Considered
SUNY College of Environmental Science and ForestryConsidered
SUNY CortlandConsidered
SUNY OneontaNot Considered
Susquehanna UniversityConsidered
Swarthmore CollegeConsidered
Syracuse UniversityConsidered
Temple UniversityConsidered
Texas A & M University-College StationNot Considered
Texas Christian UniversityConsidered
Texas Tech UniversityNot Considered
The College of New JerseyConsidered
The College of WoosterNot Considered
The University of Tennessee-KnoxvilleConsidered
The University of Texas at AustinNot Considered
The University of Texas at DallasNot Considered
The University of the SouthConsidered
Trinity CollegeConsidered
Trinity UniversityConsidered
Tufts UniversityConsidered
Tulane UniversityConsidered
Union CollegeConsidered
United States Air Force AcademyConsidered
United States Coast Guard AcademyConsidered
United States Merchant Marine AcademyNot Considered
United States Military AcademyNot Considered
United States Naval AcademyConsidered
University at BuffaloNot Considered
University of AlabamaConsidered
University of Alabama at BirminghamNot Considered
University of ArizonaNot Considered
University of ArkansasConsidered
University of California, BerkeleyNot Considered
University of California, DavisNot Considered
University of California, IrvineNot Considered
University of California, Los AngelesNot Considered
University of California, MercedNot Considered
University of California, RiversideNot Considered
University of California, San DiegoNot Considered
University of California, Santa BarbaraNot Considered
University of California, Santa CruzNot Considered
University of Central FloridaConsidered
University of ChicagoConsidered
University of CincinnatiNot Considered
University of Colorado BoulderConsidered
University of ConnecticutConsidered
University of DaytonConsidered
University of DelawareConsidered
University of FloridaNot Considered
University of GeorgiaNot Considered
University of HoustonNot Considered
University of Illinois at ChicagoNot Considered
University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignNot Considered
University of IowaNot Considered
University of KansasConsidered
University of KentuckyNot Considered
University of LouisvilleNot Considered
University of MaineNot Considered
University of Mary WashingtonConsidered
University of Maryland, Baltimore CountyNot Considered
University of Maryland, College ParkConsidered
University of Massachusetts AmherstConsidered
University of Massachusetts BostonNot Considered
University of MiamiConsidered
University of MichiganConsidered
University of Minnesota-Twin CitiesConsidered
University of MississippiNot Considered
University of Missouri-ColumbiaNot Considered
University of Nebraska-LincolnNot Considered
University of Nevada-Las VegasNot Considered
University of Nevada-RenoNot Considered
University of New HampshireConsidered
University of New MexicoNot Considered
University of North Carolina at AshevilleConsidered
University of North Carolina at Chapel HillConsidered
University of North Carolina at CharlotteNot Considered
University of North Carolina at GreensboroNot Considered
University of North Carolina WilmingtonConsidered
University of Notre DameConsidered
University of OklahomaConsidered
University of OregonNot Considered
University of PennsylvaniaConsidered
University of PittsburghConsidered
University of PortlandConsidered
University of Puget SoundConsidered
University of RedlandsConsidered
University of Rhode IslandConsidered
University of RichmondConsidered
University of RochesterConsidered
University of San DiegoConsidered
University of San FranciscoConsidered
University of South CarolinaNot Considered
University of South FloridaNot Considered
University of Southern CaliforniaConsidered
University of TulsaConsidered
University of UtahConsidered
University of VermontConsidered
University of Virginia-Main CampusConsidered
University of WashingtonNot Considered
University of Wisconsin-MadisonNot Considered
Vanderbilt UniversityConsidered
Vassar CollegeConsidered
Villanova UniversityConsidered
Virginia Commonwealth UniversityNot Considered
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityConsidered
Wake Forest UniversityConsidered
Washington and Lee UniversityConsidered
Washington University in St. LouisConsidered
Wellesley CollegeConsidered
Wesleyan UniversityConsidered
West Virginia UniversityNot Considered
Wheaton College (IL)Considered
Wheaton College (MA)Considered
Whitman CollegeConsidered
Willamette UniversityConsidered
Williams CollegeConsidered
Worcester Polytechnic InstituteConsidered
Yale UniversityConsidered
Yeshiva UniversityNot Considered

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