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.
| Institution | Alumni Relation/Legacy Status |
|---|---|
| Adelphi University | Considered |
| Agnes Scott College | Considered |
| Alfred University | Not Considered |
| Allegheny College | Considered |
| American University | Considered |
| Amherst College | Considered |
| Appalachian State University | Considered |
| Arizona State University | Not Considered |
| Auburn University | Considered |
| Austin College | Not 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 |
| Binghamton University | Considered |
| Boston College | Considered |
| Boston University | Considered |
| Bowdoin College | Considered |
| Bradley University | Considered |
| Brandeis University | Considered |
| Brigham Young University-Provo | Not Considered |
| Brown University | Considered |
| Bryant University | Considered |
| Bryn Mawr College | Considered |
| Bucknell University | Considered |
| Butler University | Considered |
| Cal Poly, Pomona | Not Considered |
| Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo | Not Considered |
| California Institute of Technology | Not Considered |
| California State University, Fresno | Not Considered |
| California State University, Fullerton | Not Considered |
| California State University, Long Beach | Not Considered |
| California State University-Los Angeles | Not Considered |
| Carleton College | Considered |
| Carnegie Mellon University | Considered |
| Case Western Reserve University | Considered |
| Centre College | Considered |
| Chapman University | Not Considered |
| Claremont McKenna College | Considered |
| Clark University | Considered |
| Clarkson University | Considered |
| Clemson University | Considered |
| Coastal Carolina University | Considered |
| Colby College | Considered |
| Colgate University | Considered |
| College of Charleston | Considered |
| College of the Holy Cross | 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 for the Advancement of Science and Art | Not Considered |
| Cornell College | Considered |
| Cornell University | Considered |
| Creighton University | Not Considered |
| CUNY Bernard M 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 | Considered |
| Drew University | Considered |
| Drexel University | Considered |
| Duke University | Considered |
| Duquesne University | Considered |
| Earlham College | Not Considered |
| East Carolina University | Considered |
| Eckerd College | Considered |
| Elon University | Considered |
| Emerson College | Considered |
| Emory University | Considered |
| Fairfield University | Considered |
| Florida Atlantic University | Not Considered |
| Florida Gulf Coast University | Not Considered |
| Florida Institute of Technology | Considered |
| Florida International University | Considered |
| Florida Southern College | Considered |
| Florida State University | Not Considered |
| Fordham University | Considered |
| Franklin and Marshall College | Considered |
| Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering | Considered |
| Furman University | Considered |
| George Mason University | Not 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 |
| Harvard University | Considered |
| Harvey Mudd College | Considered |
| Haverford College | Considered |
| Hendrix College | Considered |
| High Point University | Considered |
| Hobart William Smith Colleges | Considered |
| Hofstra University | Considered |
| Howard University | Considered |
| Illinois Institute of Technology | Considered |
| Illinois Wesleyan University | Considered |
| Indiana University Bloomington | Considered |
| Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis | Not Considered |
| Iowa State University | Not Considered |
| Ithaca College | Considered |
| James Madison University | Considered |
| Johns Hopkins University | Not Considered |
| Juniata College | Considered |
| Kalamazoo College | Considered |
| Kansas State University | Not Considered |
| Kenyon College | Considered |
| Lafayette College | Considered |
| Lake Forest College | Considered |
| Lawrence University | Considered |
| Lehigh University | Considered |
| Lewis & Clark College | Considered |
| Linfield College-McMinnville Campus | Considered |
| Louisiana State University | Considered |
| Loyola Marymount University | Considered |
| Loyola University Chicago | Considered |
| Loyola University Maryland | Considered |
| Macalester College | Considered |
| Manhattan College | Considered |
| Marist College | Considered |
| Marquette University | Considered |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Not Considered |
| Miami University | Considered |
| Michigan State University | Considered |
| Michigan Technological University | Not Considered |
| Middlebury College | Considered |
| Milwaukee School of Engineering | Not 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 Institute of Technology | Considered |
| New York University | Considered |
| North Carolina State University | Considered |
| Northeastern University | Not Considered |
| Northern Arizona University | Not Considered |
| Northwestern University | Considered |
| Oberlin College | Considered |
| Occidental College | Considered |
| Ohio State University | Not Considered |
| Ohio University | Considered |
| Ohio Wesleyan University | Considered |
| Oklahoma State University | Not Considered |
| Oregon State University | Not Considered |
| Pennsylvania State University - University Park | Considered |
| Pepperdine University | Considered |
| Pitzer College | Considered |
| Pomona College | Not Considered |
| Princeton University | Considered |
| Providence College | Considered |
| Purdue University | Not Considered |
| Quinnipiac University | Considered |
| Ramapo College of New Jersey | Considered |
| Reed College | Considered |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Considered |
| Rhode Island School of Design | Considered |
| Rhodes College | Considered |
| Rice University | Considered |
| Rochester Institute of Technology | Considered |
| Rollins College | Considered |
| Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Considered |
| Rutgers University-New Brunswick | Not Considered |
| Saint Johns University | Considered |
| Saint Mary's College | Considered |
| Saint Mary's College of California | Considered |
| San Diego State University | Not Considered |
| San Francisco State University | Not Considered |
| San Jose State University | Not Considered |
| Santa Clara University | Considered |
| Sarah Lawrence College | Considered |
| Scripps College | Considered |
| Seattle University | Considered |
| Seton Hall University | Not Considered |
| Skidmore College | Considered |
| Smith College | Considered |
| Soka University of America | Not Considered |
| Southern Methodist University | Considered |
| Spelman College | Considered |
| St John's University-New York | Considered |
| St Lawrence University | Considered |
| St Olaf College | Considered |
| St. John's College (MD) | Considered |
| St. John's College (NM) | Considered |
| St. Mary's College of Maryland | Considered |
| Stanford University | Considered |
| State University of New York at New Paltz | Not Considered |
| Stetson University | Considered |
| Stevens Institute of Technology | Considered |
| Stony Brook University | Considered |
| SUNY at Albany | Considered |
| SUNY at Purchase College | Not Considered |
| SUNY College at Geneseo | Considered |
| SUNY College at Oswego | Considered |
| SUNY College at Potsdam | Not Considered |
| SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry | Considered |
| SUNY Cortland | Considered |
| SUNY Oneonta | Not Considered |
| Susquehanna University | Considered |
| Swarthmore College | Considered |
| Syracuse University | Considered |
| Temple University | Considered |
| Texas A & M University-College Station | Not Considered |
| Texas Christian University | Considered |
| Texas Tech University | Not Considered |
| The College of New Jersey | Considered |
| The College of Wooster | Not Considered |
| The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | Considered |
| The University of Texas at Austin | Not Considered |
| The University of Texas at Dallas | Not Considered |
| The University of the South | Considered |
| Trinity College | Considered |
| Trinity 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 | Not Considered |
| United States Military Academy | Not Considered |
| United States Naval Academy | Considered |
| University at Buffalo | Not Considered |
| University of Alabama | Considered |
| University of Alabama at Birmingham | Not Considered |
| University of Arizona | Not Considered |
| University of Arkansas | 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, Merced | 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 | Considered |
| University of Dayton | Considered |
| University of Delaware | Considered |
| University of Florida | Not Considered |
| University of Georgia | Not Considered |
| University of Houston | Not Considered |
| University of Illinois at Chicago | Not Considered |
| University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Not Considered |
| University of Iowa | Not Considered |
| University of Kansas | Considered |
| University of Kentucky | Not Considered |
| University of Louisville | Not Considered |
| University of Maine | Not Considered |
| University of Mary Washington | Considered |
| University of Maryland, Baltimore County | Not Considered |
| University of Maryland, College Park | Considered |
| University of Massachusetts Amherst | Considered |
| University of Massachusetts Boston | Not Considered |
| University of Miami | Considered |
| University of Michigan | Considered |
| University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | Considered |
| University of Mississippi | Not Considered |
| University of Missouri-Columbia | Not Considered |
| University of Nebraska-Lincoln | Not Considered |
| University of Nevada-Las Vegas | Not Considered |
| University of Nevada-Reno | Not Considered |
| University of New Hampshire | Considered |
| University of New Mexico | Not 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 Wilmington | Considered |
| University of Notre Dame | Considered |
| 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 | Considered |
| University of Redlands | Considered |
| University of Rhode Island | Considered |
| University of Richmond | Considered |
| University of Rochester | Considered |
| University of San Diego | Considered |
| University of San Francisco | Considered |
| University of South Carolina | Not Considered |
| University of South Florida | Not Considered |
| University of Southern California | Considered |
| University of Tulsa | Considered |
| University of Utah | Considered |
| University of Vermont | Considered |
| University of Virginia-Main Campus | Considered |
| University of Washington | Not Considered |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison | Not Considered |
| Vanderbilt University | Considered |
| Vassar College | Considered |
| Villanova University | Considered |
| Virginia Commonwealth University | Not Considered |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | Considered |
| Wake Forest University | Considered |
| Washington and Lee University | Considered |
| Washington University in St. Louis | Considered |
| Wellesley College | Considered |
| Wesleyan University | Considered |
| West Virginia University | Not Considered |
| Wheaton College (IL) | Considered |
| Wheaton College (MA) | Considered |
| Whitman College | Considered |
| Willamette University | Considered |
| Williams College | Considered |
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Considered |
| Yale University | Considered |
| Yeshiva University | Not Considered |
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