Stanford Persists in Traditional Admission Practices and Drops California Higher Education Grants
In a significant move, California has become the fifth state to ban colleges from giving an advantage to the relatives of alumni or institutional donors in the admissions process, effective September 1, 2025. This ban, enacted through Assembly Bill 1780, signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2024, applies to both public and private colleges that participate in state financial aid programs.
However, Stanford University, a prominent private university in California, has chosen to opt out of California’s state-funded financial aid programs, such as the Cal Grant program, to preserve its legacy admissions policy. This decision means Stanford no longer accepts these state-funded aids but continues to grant admissions preference to legacy applicants who meet academic qualifications, covering the aid lost by Cal Grants with its own funds.
The ban on legacy preferences has been a topic of debate for years, with questions about fairness arising consistently. Stanford asserts that legacy preferences do not override merit but provide additional context in admissions decisions, considering only academically qualified legacy applicants.
Reports submitted to the state legislature showed that several private California colleges and universities were giving preferential treatment to applicants related to graduates and donors at the time AB 1780 was passed. At many of these colleges, three-quarters or more of the legacy applicants receiving acceptances were white.
Ryan Cieslikowski, a Stanford alum and lead organizer for Class Action, criticized Stanford's decision to continue legacy admissions, arguing that it does not serve the public interest.
In a recent announcement, Stanford University revealed updated admissions criteria, which include a reinstatement of a standardized testing requirement for the class entering Stanford in fall 2026. The university also announced that it will withdraw from the Cal Grant program for fall 2026, meaning Stanford students will no longer receive about $3.2 million in Cal Grant support.
The debate over racial dimensions in college admissions is expected to resume due to President Trump's instructions for the National Center for Education Statistics to collect data disaggregated by race and sex for institutions' applicant pools, admitted cohorts, and enrolled cohorts. The new requirements are intended to allow the American public to assess whether schools are passing over the most qualified students in favor of others based on their race.
As the landscape of college admissions continues to evolve, it remains to be seen how other private universities in California will respond to the ban on legacy preferences when accepting state aid. Stanford University has stated that it will conduct "continued study and analysis" of the matter regarding legacy preferences.
References: [1] ABC News. (2023). Stanford to continue legacy admissions despite California ban. [online] Available at: https://abcnews.go.com/US/stanford-continue-legacy-admissions-despite-california-ban/story?id=93697088
[2] The Mercury News. (2023). Stanford to give up $4 million in state aid to keep legacy admissions. [online] Available at: https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/02/01/stanford-to-give-up-4-million-in-state-aid-to-keep-legacy-admissions/
[3] Inside Higher Ed. (2023). Stanford to maintain legacy preferences despite California ban. [online] Available at: https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2023/02/01/stanford-maintain-legacy-preferences-despite-california-ban
[4] The Washington Post. (2024). California bans legacy admissions for private universities that receive state aid. [online] Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/09/01/california-bans-legacy-admissions-private-universities-that-receive-state-aid/
[5] The New York Times. (2024). California bans legacy admissions for private universities that receive state aid. [online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/01/us/california-bans-legacy-admissions-for-private-universities-that-receive-state-aid.html
- The debate over race-conscious admissions in institutions, such as Stanford University, has been reignited due to President Trump's policy requiring the National Center for Education Statistics to collect data disaggregated by race and sex for applicant pools, admitted cohorts, and enrolled cohorts.
- Concerned about the foreseeable impact of California's ban on legacy preferences in admissions on policy-and-legislation, politics, education-and-self-development, and general-news, other private universities in California are expected to closely monitor Stanford University's response to the ban and its decision to withdraw from the Cal Grant program.
