RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A Virginia lawmaker has submitted a bill to end legacy admissions — the practice of giving college applicants preferential treatment if a family member previously attended the school.
The bill was submitted by chief patron Del. Dan Helmer (D-10) on Thursday, Dec. 21.
According to the bill, if it were to become law, it would prohibit colleges and universities from “providing any manner of preferential treatment in the admissions decision to any student applicant on the basis of such student’s legacy status.”
The push to end legacy admissions has seen bipartisan support from the likes of Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares.
“Nobody should miss out on a slot at a university just because the person they are competing with, father or grandfather, went to that same university,” Miyares said in August. “They should be looked at as an individual.”
A number of educational institutions changed their admission policies earlier this year after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled an applicant’s race could not be taken into account when evaluating their application.
Earlier this year, Virginia Tech announced it would be ending legacy admissions. Virginia Commonwealth University told 8News it doesn’t use legacy as a factor during admissions decisions.
