Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill 1780 Monday, prohibiting legacy and donor preferences during the admissions process for private, nonprofit institutions.
Preference for legacy and donor admissions have long been excluded from the admissions process at public universities. The University of California system eliminated legacy preferences in 1998 and California State University does not consider legacy or donor ties.
Legislators and advocates for the bill argued it would help reverse the effects of The Supreme Court’s decision last summer to prohibit the use of race in admissions.
“If we value diversity in higher education, we must level the playing field … Hard work, good grades and a well-rounded background should earn you a spot in the incoming class — not the size of the check your family can write or who you’re related to,” Assemblymember Phil Ting, one of the authors of the bill, said in a press statement.
Jesus Hernandez-Arrambide, a freshman construction management major, believes while there may be downsides to the law, overall it would make the admission process less biased.
“Schools may lose money because families donate a lot of money, but it would make it more fair for everyone. It gives everyone else a chance,” Hernandez-Arrambide said.
California is now the fifth state to ban legacy admissions and the second state to ban it in private universities. The law will take effect on Sept. 1, 2025.
Beginning June 2026, the law will require universities to submit an annual report to the State Legislature and Department of Justice detailing their admissions process.
The university must compare legacy admissions to other admissions. If a university fails to meet requirements, the DOJ may then pursue legal action against the university.
The bill will affect only a handful of colleges in the state, notably Stanford University, University of Southern California and Santa Clara University. In 2022, the universities admitted 13.8%, 14.4% and 13.1% students with alumni or donor ties respectively.
Steven Amador can be reached at [email protected].
