Colleges that Consider Legacy Status
So-called “legacy applicants,” those who have familial ties to an institution, are still given a measurable edge in the admissions process at many elite U.S. colleges and universities.
Some institutions such as Stanford and UNC only take “primary legacy” status into consideration—where one or both of the applicant’s parents are alumni. Yet, most schools will also grant favor to “secondary legacies” who claim a grandparent, sibling, or other non-parental familial affiliation to the school. Only a handful of elite schools have shed the practice entirely from their admissions formula. These include MIT, Caltech, and Cooper Union. While controversial, being a legacy can provide a massive boost to your odds of acceptance. For example, the admission rate for Harvard legacies is over five times that of non-legacies. College Transitions’ list below of which colleges consider legacy status will inform you as to whether “keeping it in the family” will actually provide you with an advantage at your prospective schools.
*Data collected from institution websites and Common Data Set (CDS) forms.
Table updated November 2023
Institution | Alumni Relation/Legacy Status | ||
---|---|---|---|
138600 | Agnes Scott College | Considered | |
210669 | Allegheny College | Considered | |
131159 | American University | AU | Not Considered |
164465 | Amherst College | Not Considered | |
197869 | Appalachian State University | App State | Considered |
104151 | Arizona State University | ASU | Not Considered |
100858 | Auburn University | Not Considered | |
164580 | Babson College | Considered | |
189088 | Bard College | Considered | |
189097 | Barnard College | Considered | |
160977 | Bates College | Considered | |
223232 | Baylor University | Considered | |
238333 | Beloit College | Considered | |
230816 | Bennington College | Not Considered | |
164739 | Bentley University | Considered | |
156295 | Berea College | Not Considered | |
164748 | Berklee College of Music | Considered | |
196079 | Binghamton University | Not Considered | |
142115 | Boise State University | Not Considered | |
164924 | Boston College | BC | Important |
164988 | Boston University | BU | Considered |
161004 | Bowdoin College | Considered | |
165015 | Brandeis University | Considered | |
230038 | Brigham Young University-Provo | BYU | Not Considered |
217156 | Brown University | Considered | |
217165 | Bryant University | Considered | |
211273 | Bryn Mawr College | Considered | |
211291 | Bucknell University | Considered | |
150163 | Butler University | Not Considered | |
110404 | California Institute of Technology | Caltech | Not Considered |
111081 | California Institute of the Arts | Not Considered | |
110422 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | Cal Poly | Not Considered |
110529 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | Not Considered | |
110556 | California State University-Fresno | Not Considered | |
110565 | California State University-Fullerton | Not Considered | |
110583 | California State University-Long Beach | Not Considered | |
110592 | California State University-Los Angeles | Not Considered | |
173258 | Carleton College | Considered | |
211440 | Carnegie Mellon University | CMU | Not Considered |
201645 | Case Western Reserve University | Considered | |
131283 | Catholic University of America | Considered | |
156408 | Centre College | Considered | |
230852 | Champlain College | Considered | |
111948 | Chapman University | Not Considered | |
112260 | Claremont McKenna College | CMC | Considered |
165334 | Clark University | Not Considered | |
190044 | Clarkson University | Considered | |
217882 | Clemson University | Considered | |
161086 | Colby College | Considered | |
190099 | Colgate University | Considered | |
217819 | College of Charleston | Considered | |
160959 | College of the Atlantic | Considered | |
166124 | College of the Holy Cross | Considered | |
231624 | College of William and Mary | W&M | Considered |
126678 | Colorado College | CC | Considered |
126775 | Colorado School of Mines | Considered | |
126818 | Colorado State University | CSU | Not Considered |
190150 | Columbia University in the City of New York | Considered | |
128902 | Connecticut College | Considered | |
190372 | Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art | Not Considered | |
153162 | Cornell College | Considered | |
190415 | Cornell University | Considered | |
181002 | Creighton University | Not Considered | |
190512 | CUNY Bernard M Baruch College | Not Considered | |
190594 | CUNY Hunter College | Not Considered | |
182670 | Dartmouth College | Considered | |
198385 | Davidson College | Considered | |
202523 | Denison University | Considered | |
144740 | DePaul University | Considered | |
150400 | DePauw University | Considered | |
212009 | Dickinson College | Considered | |
153269 | Drake University | Considered | |
184348 | Drew University | Considered | |
212054 | Drexel University | Considered | |
198419 | Duke University | Considered | |
212106 | Duquesne University | Considered | |
150455 | Earlham College | Not Considered | |
198464 | East Carolina University | ECU | Considered |
133492 | Eckerd College | Considered | |
212197 | Elizabethtown College | Considered | |
198516 | Elon University | Important | |
133553 | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University | Considered | |
165662 | Emerson College | Not Considered | |
165671 | Emmanuel College | Not Considered | |
139658 | Emory University | Considered | |
129242 | Fairfield University | Considered | |
191126 | Fashion Institute of Technology | FIT | Considered |
133669 | Florida Atlantic University | FAU | Not Considered |
133881 | Florida Institute of Technology | Considered | |
133951 | Florida International University | FIU | Considered |
134079 | Florida Southern College | Considered | |
134097 | Florida State University | FSU | Not Considered |
191241 | Fordham University | Considered | |
212577 | Franklin and Marshall College | F&M | Considered |
441982 | Franklin W Olin College of Engineering | Considered | |
218070 | Furman University | Considered | |
232186 | George Mason University | GMU | Not Considered |
131469 | George Washington University | GWU | Considered |
131496 | Georgetown University | Considered | |
139861 | Georgia College & State University | Considered | |
139755 | Georgia Institute of Technology | Georgia Tech | Not Considered |
139940 | Georgia State University | Not Considered | |
212674 | Gettysburg College | Considered | |
235316 | Gonzaga University | Considered | |
162654 | Goucher College | Considered | |
153384 | Grinnell College | Considered | |
212805 | Grove City College | Considered | |
173647 | Gustavus Adolphus College | Considered | |
191515 | Hamilton College | Considered | |
166018 | Hampshire College | Considered | |
150756 | Hanover College | Considered | |
166027 | Harvard University | Considered | |
115409 | Harvey Mudd College | HMC | Considered |
212911 | Haverford College | Considered | |
107080 | Hendrix College | Considered | |
170286 | Hillsdale College | Considered | |
191630 | Hobart William Smith Colleges | Considered | |
191649 | Hofstra University | Not Considered | |
170301 | Hope College | Considered | |
131520 | Howard University | HU | Considered |
145725 | Illinois Institute of Technology | IIT | Considered |
145646 | Illinois Wesleyan University | Considered | |
151351 | Indiana University-Bloomington | IUB | Not Considered |
153603 | Iowa State University | Not Considered | |
191968 | Ithaca College | Considered | |
232423 | James Madison University | JMU | Considered |
162928 | Johns Hopkins University | JHU | Not Considered |
213251 | Juniata College | Considered | |
170532 | Kalamazoo College | Considered | |
155399 | Kansas State University | Not Considered | |
203535 | Kenyon College | Considered | |
169983 | Kettering University | Considered | |
146427 | Knox College | Considered | |
213385 | Lafayette College | Considered | |
146481 | Lake Forest College | Considered | |
239017 | Lawrence University | Considered | |
192323 | Le Moyne College | Considered | |
213543 | Lehigh University | Considered | |
209056 | Lewis & Clark College | Considered | |
159391 | Louisiana State University | LSU | Considered |
117946 | Loyola Marymount University | LMU | Considered |
146719 | Loyola University Chicago | LUC | Not Considered |
163046 | Loyola University Maryland | Considered | |
173902 | Macalester College | Considered | |
161299 | Maine Maritime Academy | Not Considered | |
192819 | Marist College | Not Considered | |
239105 | Marquette University | Considered | |
166683 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | MIT | Not Considered |
140447 | Mercer University | Not Considered | |
204024 | Miami University-Oxford | Considered | |
171100 | Michigan State University | MSU | Considered |
171128 | Michigan Technological University | Not Considered | |
230959 | Middlebury College | Considered | |
239318 | Milwaukee School of Engineering | MSOE | Not Considered |
176080 | Mississippi State University | Not Considered | |
178411 | Missouri University of Science and Technology | MUST | Not Considered |
180461 | Montana State University | Not Considered | |
140553 | Morehouse College | Considered | |
166939 | Mount Holyoke College | MHC | Considered |
214175 | Muhlenberg College | Considered | |
262129 | New College of Florida | Considered | |
185828 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | NJIT | Considered |
187967 | New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | NMIT | Not Considered |
193900 | New York University | NYU | Considered |
199193 | North Carolina State University | NC State | Considered |
167358 | Northeastern University | Not Considered | |
147767 | Northwestern University | Considered | |
204501 | Oberlin College | Important | |
120254 | Occidental College | Oxy | Considered |
204796 | Ohio State University | OSU | Not Considered |
204857 | Ohio University | OU | Considered |
204909 | Ohio Wesleyan University | Considered | |
209542 | Oregon State University | OSU | Not Considered |
214777 | Pennsylvania State University | PSU; Penn State | Considered |
121150 | Pepperdine University | Considered | |
121257 | Pitzer College | Not Considered | |
121345 | Pomona College | Not Considered | |
194578 | Pratt Institute-Main | Not Considered | |
186131 | Princeton University | Considered | |
217402 | Providence College | Considered | |
243780 | Purdue University-Main Campus | Not Considered | |
130226 | Quinnipiac University | Not Considered | |
186201 | Ramapo College of New Jersey | Considered | |
209922 | Reed College | Considered | |
194824 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | RPI | Considered |
217493 | Rhode Island School of Design | RISD | Considered |
221351 | Rhodes College | Considered | |
227757 | Rice University | Considered | |
195003 | Rochester Institute of Technology | RIT | Considered |
136950 | Rollins College | Considered | |
152318 | Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | RHIT | Considered |
184782 | Rowan University | Not Considered | |
186371 | Rutgers University-Camden | Not Considered | |
186380 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | RU | Not Considered |
186399 | Rutgers University-Newark | Not Considered | |
183239 | Saint Anselm College | Considered | |
179159 | Saint Louis University | SLU | Not Considered |
231059 | Saint Michael's College | Considered | |
122409 | San Diego State University | SDSU | Not Considered |
122755 | San Jose State University | SJSU | Not Considered |
122931 | Santa Clara University | SCU | Considered |
195304 | Sarah Lawrence College | SLC | Not Considered |
123165 | Scripps College | Considered | |
236595 | Seattle University | Considered | |
195474 | Siena College | Considered | |
167783 | Simmons University | Not Considered | |
195526 | Skidmore College | Considered | |
167835 | Smith College | Considered | |
399911 | Soka University of America | Not Reported | |
228246 | Southern Methodist University | SMU | Considered |
228343 | Southwestern University | Important | |
195216 | St Lawrence University | SLU | Considered |
174844 | St Olaf College | Considered | |
163976 | St. John's College | Not Considered | |
245652 | St. John's College | Not Considered | |
163912 | St. Mary's College of Maryland | Considered | |
243744 | Stanford University | Considered | |
196176 | State University of New York at New Paltz | Not Considered | |
137546 | Stetson University | Considered | |
186867 | Stevens Institute of Technology | Considered | |
167996 | Stonehill College | Considered | |
196097 | Stony Brook University | Considered | |
196219 | SUNY at Purchase College | Not Considered | |
196167 | SUNY College at Geneseo | Considered | |
196103 | SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry | Considered | |
216287 | Swarthmore College | Considered | |
196413 | Syracuse University | Considered | |
216339 | Temple University | Considered | |
228723 | Texas A & M University-College Station | Not Considered | |
228875 | Texas Christian University | TCU | Considered |
229115 | Texas Tech University | Not Considered | |
187134 | The College of New Jersey | TCNJ | Considered |
206589 | The College of Wooster | Not Considered | |
193654 | The New School | Not Considered | |
100751 | The University of Alabama | Considered | |
180489 | The University of Montana | Not Considered | |
137847 | The University of Tampa | Considered | |
221759 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | UTK | Not Considered |
228778 | The University of Texas at Austin | UT Austin | Not Considered |
228787 | The University of Texas at Dallas | UTD; UT Dallas | Not Considered |
221519 | The University of the South | Considered | |
124292 | Thomas Aquinas College | Not Considered | |
216366 | Thomas Jefferson University | Not Reported | |
164076 | Towson University | Considered | |
130590 | Trinity College | Considered | |
229267 | Trinity University | Considered | |
178615 | Truman State University | Considered | |
168148 | Tufts University | Considered | |
160755 | Tulane University of Louisiana | Considered | |
196866 | Union College | Considered | |
128328 | United States Air Force Academy | USAFA | Considered |
130624 | United States Coast Guard Academy | USCGA | Considered |
197027 | United States Merchant Marine Academy | Not Considered | |
197036 | United States Military Academy | USMA | Not Considered |
164155 | United States Naval Academy | Considered | |
196088 | University at Buffalo | Not Considered | |
100663 | University of Alabama at Birmingham | UAB | Not Considered |
104179 | University of Arizona | UA | Not Considered |
106397 | University of Arkansas | Considered | |
110635 | University of California-Berkeley | UCB: UC Berkeley | Not Considered |
110644 | University of California-Davis | UCD; UC Davis | Not Considered |
110653 | University of California-Irvine | UCI; UC Irvine | Not Considered |
110662 | University of California-Los Angeles | UCLA | Not Considered |
445188 | University of California-Merced | UC Merced | Not Considered |
110671 | University of California-Riverside | UCR; UC Riverside | Not Considered |
110680 | University of California-San Diego | UCSD; UC San Diego | Not Considered |
110705 | University of California-Santa Barbara | UCSB; UC Santa Barbara | Not Considered |
110714 | University of California-Santa Cruz | UCSC; UC Santa Cruz | Not Considered |
132903 | University of Central Florida | UCF | Considered |
144050 | University of Chicago | UChicago | Considered |
201885 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | Not Considered | |
126614 | University of Colorado Boulder | Not Considered | |
129020 | University of Connecticut | UConn | Not Considered |
224323 | University of Dallas | Considered | |
130943 | University of Delaware | UD | Considered |
127060 | University of Denver | UD | Considered |
134130 | University of Florida | UF | Not Considered |
139959 | University of Georgia | UGA | Not Considered |
225511 | University of Houston | Not Considered | |
142285 | University of Idaho | Not Considered | |
145600 | University of Illinois at Chicago | UIC | Not Considered |
145637 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | UIUC | Not Considered |
153658 | University of Iowa | Not Considered | |
155317 | University of Kansas | KU | Not Considered |
157085 | University of Kentucky | UK | Not Considered |
157289 | University of Louisville | Not Considered | |
161253 | University of Maine | Not Considered | |
232681 | University of Mary Washington | Considered | |
163268 | University of Maryland-Baltimore County | UMBC | Not Considered |
163286 | University of Maryland-College Park | UMD | Not Considered |
166629 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | UMass Amherst | Not Considered |
166638 | University of Massachusetts-Boston | UMass Boston | Not Considered |
166513 | University of Massachusetts-Lowell | UMass Lowell | Considered |
135726 | University of Miami | UM | Considered |
170976 | University of Michigan | UMich | Not Considered |
174233 | University of Minnesota-Duluth | Considered | |
174251 | University of Minnesota-Morris | Not Considered | |
174066 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | UMN | Considered |
176017 | University of Mississippi | Ole Miss | Not Considered |
178396 | University of Missouri-Columbia | Mizzou | Not Considered |
181464 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | UNL | Not Considered |
182281 | University of Nevada-Las Vegas | UNLV | Not Considered |
182290 | University of Nevada-Reno | UNR | Not Considered |
183044 | University of New Hampshire | UNH | Considered |
199111 | University of North Carolina at Asheville | UNC Asheville | Considered |
199120 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | UNC Chapel Hill | Considered |
199139 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | UNCC; UNC Charlotte | Not Considered |
199148 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro | UNCG; UNC Greensboro | Not Considered |
199218 | University of North Carolina Wilmington | UNC Wilmington | Considered |
152080 | University of Notre Dame | UND | Considered |
207500 | University of Oklahoma | OU | Considered |
209551 | University of Oregon | Not Considered | |
215062 | University of Pennsylvania | UPenn | Considered |
215293 | University of Pittsburgh | Not Considered | |
209825 | University of Portland | Considered | |
236328 | University of Puget Sound | Important | |
121691 | University of Redlands | Considered | |
217484 | University of Rhode Island | URI | Considered |
233374 | University of Richmond | Considered | |
195030 | University of Rochester | Considered | |
122436 | University of San Diego | USD | Not Considered |
122612 | University of San Francisco | USF | Considered |
215929 | University of Scranton | Considered | |
218663 | University of South Carolina | USC | Not Considered |
137351 | University of South Florida | USF | Not Considered |
123961 | University of Southern California | USC | Considered |
174914 | University of St Thomas | Considered | |
231174 | University of Vermont | UVM | Considered |
234076 | University of Virginia | UVA | Considered |
377555 | University of Washington-Bothell Campus | Not Considered | |
236948 | University of Washington-Seattle | UW | Not Considered |
240444 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | UW-Madison | Not Considered |
216524 | Ursinus College | Considered | |
221999 | Vanderbilt University | Vandy | Considered |
197133 | Vassar College | Considered | |
216597 | Villanova University | Considered | |
234030 | Virginia Commonwealth University | VCU | Not Considered |
233921 | Virginia Tech | Virginia Tech | Considered |
152673 | Wabash College | Considered | |
199847 | Wake Forest University | Considered | |
234207 | Washington and Lee University | W&L; WLU | Considered |
164216 | Washington College | Considered | |
236939 | Washington State University | WSU | Not Considered |
179867 | Washington University in St Louis | WashU | Considered |
168218 | Wellesley College | Considered | |
168227 | Wentworth Institute of Technology | Considered | |
130697 | Wesleyan University | Considered | |
216764 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania | Not Considered | |
238032 | West Virginia University | WVU | Not Considered |
125727 | Westmont College | Not Considered | |
149781 | Wheaton College | Considered | |
168281 | Wheaton College | Considered | |
237057 | Whitman College | Considered | |
125763 | Whittier College | Considered | |
210401 | Willamette University | Considered | |
168342 | Williams College | Considered | |
218973 | Wofford College | Considered | |
168421 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | WPI | Considered |
130794 | Yale University | Considered | |
197708 | Yeshiva University | YU | Not Considered |
Colleges Worth Your Money
2024 Edition
A Guide to What America's Top Schools Can Do for You
Buy on Amazon Now
![College Transitions Dataverse Book Image](webp/book-collegesworthyourmoney-720x720-1.webp)