On June 6, 1963, in a commencement address at San Diego State University, President John F. Kennedy told thousands of gathered college students that while “not every child has an equal talent or an equal ability or an equal motivation, … they should have the equal right to develop their talent.”
At the time, Kennedy was addressing the divisive racial disparities in education. If his declaration is to come true, students should not have the unfair advantage of being admitted to colleges on the basis of their family’s attendance history.
Despite growing opposition to the practice, a controversial statement released in August revealed that Stanford University would be renewing its commitment to family-based acceptances for the coming school year as a part of its 2026 admissions criteria. Stanford’s decision to maintain legacy guaranteed the school’s withdrawal from the Cal Grant program, a program that provides state-funded financial aid to low-income students, and prohibits participating colleges from giving advantages based on alumni status.
Equal opportunity in higher education cannot exist if family connections give students an advantage in the admissions process, as this practice rewards privilege while limiting access for students without family history within the institution. We believe Stanford should end legacy admissions in order to ensure equal fairness for all stu-
dents, and that college admissions should reflect academic ability — not familial connections.
Not everyone is opposed to legacy. According to an anonymous Palo Alto High School student with Stanford legacy, resistance to legacy admissions overlooks the importance of familial bonds the system creates within college populations. “Having legacy within … schools creates a community aspect,” the student said. “It makes [college] like a family. I think that’s really important to maintain.”
The student also noted that colleges’ devotion to legacy admissions stems largely from financial reasons, with the descendants and siblings of alumni generally being wealthier and, as such, more likely to be full pay. “Part of why legacy students get into schools is because schools can be certain that they can pay,” the student said.
While both points are true, they don’t necessarily paint a full or comprehensive picture of the admissions process. Communities and bonds can be formed in many different of ways, and there is no guarantee that students will bond better simply because their parents are both alumni. While it’s true that legacy students tend to be more financially stable and more likely to afford full tuition, full-pay students and legacy applicants are not synonymous with each other, and the fact that schools are heavily reliant on applicants paying in full for funding is more indicative of the outdated financial backings in higher education than anything else.
62 years have passed since Kennedy first declared his intention to ensure equality in education, but there’s still work to be done. American children can never truly receive anequal chance at education if some are preferred over others in the college admissions process due to familial ties.