SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Private, nonprofit colleges in California will be banned from giving priority in the admissions process to applicants related to the school’s alumni or donors under a new law signed this week by Governor Gavin Newsom.
The measure passed by legislators this year aims to give students a fair opportunity to access higher education regardless of their socioeconomic status.
“In California, everyone should be able to get ahead through merit, skills and hard work,” Newsom said in a statement after signing the bill on Monday. “The California dream should not be accessible only to a lucky few, which is why we are opening the door to higher education fairly to all.”
The law, set to take effect in September 2025, affects private institutions that consider family ties in admissions, including the University of Southern California, Stanford University, Claremont McKenna College and Santa Clara University.
The public University of California system ended legacy preferences in 1998.
Legacy admissions came under renewed scrutiny after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions last year.
Democratic Assemblyman Phil Ting, who wrote the California bill, said it creates a level playing field for students applying to college.
“Hard work, good grades and a good background should earn you a spot in the incoming class — it’s not the size of the check your family can write or who you’re related to,” Ting said in a statement Monday.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without any modifications to the text.
