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The state of California banned private and nonprofit universities from making donor and legacy admissions preferences in Sept. 2024.
California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 1780 to stop private universities from practicing their own admissions practices. “In California, everyone should be able to get ahead through merit, skill, and hard work. The California Dream shouldn’t be accessible to just a lucky few, which is why we’re opening the door to higher education wide enough for everyone, fairly,” Newsom said as he removed the rights of business operating in his state. (POLL: Has Your View on Personal Hygiene and Safety Evolved Since the Pandemic?)
“If we value diversity in higher education, we must level the playing field. That means making the college application process more fair and equitable. 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. I thank the Governor for agreeing with me and supporters of AB 1780 – that every student deserves a fair shot at their dream school,” assemblymember Phil Ting said of the ruling.
Already Laws In Place?
The U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in 2023 that restricted the use of race in college admissions. The Daily Journal called the move by Newsom “much ado about relatively little.” All the ruling does is make the schools fill out a report regarding the ruling. (LEARN MORE: State Rejects School Choice In Crushing Blow To Families)
California is the fifth state to ban legacy admissions processes. Institutions such as Stanford will now be privy to the law, ending any potential cycle of legacy admissions process or preferences for donors. Ting’s office reported told the Sacramento Bee that “14% of Stanford’s new admissions had ties to donors or alumni, while citing a study that found that children from high-income families were twice as likely to gain admission to such universities than were middle- and low-income students who had comparable test scores.”
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