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Time of India
10 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Stanford chooses legacy admissions over state funding: Here's why wealthy connections still trump California's ban
Legacy admissions continue at Stanford as university opts out of state funding. (AI Image) Stanford University has announced it will no longer participate in California's state-funded student aid programmes in order to maintain its practice of considering legacy and donor connections during undergraduate admissions. The move allows the university to bypass a new state law aimed at limiting the influence of alumni and donor ties in admissions decisions. The law, which takes effect on September 1, restricts private nonprofit colleges that receive state-funded student aid from using legacy or donor status as a factor in admissions. Institutions that continue the practice while accepting such aid are required to publicly disclose detailed admissions data. Stanford's decision ensures it avoids these reporting requirements and associated public scrutiny. Stanford confirms continuation of legacy and donor admissions Stanford stated it will continue to factor in applicants' ties to alumni and donors when selecting its undergraduate class for autumn 2026, according to reporting by Higher Ed Dive. The university explained that its withdrawal from state-funded aid is "in order to comply with recent California legislation." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Secure Your Child's Future with Strong English Fluency Planet Spark Learn More Undo Stanford will instead use its own institutional scholarship funds to replace the state aid. As per institutional data cited by Higher Ed Dive, 13.6% of Stanford's admitted undergraduate class in autumn 2023 had donor or alumni connections. That year, the university's overall undergraduate acceptance rate stood at just under 4%. California law limits but does not prohibit legacy admissions The legislation, signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom, was originally introduced by former California Assemblymember Phil Ting following the US Supreme Court's 2023 ruling that ended race-conscious admissions. Ting's proposal initially aimed to impose financial penalties by cutting access to the Cal Grant — a state financial aid programme for students from low- and middle-income families — for institutions that continued legacy and donor admissions. However, as Higher Ed Dive reported, the final version of the law did not include financial penalties. Instead, it requires schools to disclose demographic and admissions data for applicants with and without legacy or donor ties. It also allows the California Department of Justice to publish a list of noncompliant institutions on its website, implementing a name-and-shame approach rather than direct funding cuts. Stanford students will not see financial aid reduction Stanford confirmed that current and incoming students who were receiving aid from state programmes will not experience a decrease in financial assistance. "Students do not need to take any action," the university stated in a press release issued on July 29, as reported by Higher Ed Dive. Stanford continues to offer significant internal aid. Students from families earning below $100,000 annually pay no tuition, room, or board, while those from households making under $150,000 are exempt from tuition fees. TOI Education is on WhatsApp now. Follow us here . Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. Get expert guidance now!
San Francisco Chronicle
7 days ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Stanford preserves legacy admissions by pulling out of Cal Grant aid program
With three weeks to go before California's ban on legacy admissions takes effect at private universities that receive state funding, Stanford has made a stunning decision: To preserve that perk, it's pulling out of the Cal Grant program that benefits hundreds of low-income students at the pricey campus. By declining Cal Grants, Stanford can continue giving admissions preference to hundreds of students who are related to alumni or whose relatives have given money to the university. The statewide ban on such legacy and donor-driven admissions takes effect Sept. 1 under Assembly Bill 1780, which was signed into law last year. Stanford officials say they will cover the canceled aid with university money, and that it will cost just $4 million a year. 'The university will continue to study the consideration of legacy status in admissions and opt out of state financial aid funding in order to comply with recent California legislation,' university officials said in a statement posted on their website over the summer. The statement noted that such admits need to be academically qualified to be considered. 'I was genuinely shocked to see Stanford make this decision. I was surprised that Stanford decided that they would rather put the thumb on the scale for the richest students than take Cal Grant money,' said James Murphy, director of postsecondary policy at Education Reform Now, a think tank that opposes legacy admissions. Stanford is one of six California private schools that last year reported giving preferential admissions to the children of alumni or wealthy donors. Stanford said it admitted 295 students this way in fall 2023, or 13.6% of all undergraduates admitted that year. The other private schools that relied on the practice were Santa Clara University, the University of Southern California, Northeastern University Oakland (formerly Mills College), Claremont McKenna College and Harvey Mudd College. None has said it was pulling out of the Cal Grant program. A wave of opposition to legacy and donor admissions emerged after the 2019 nationwide admissions bribery scandal known as Varsity Blues, in which it was revealed that wealthy parents, including celebrities, had cheated to get their children into Stanford, the University of Southern California, UCLA, UC Berkeley and other prestigious schools across the country. Opposition to legacy admissions strengthened in 2023, after the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed affirmative action in higher education. That ruling made it illegal for universities across the country to consider the race of applicants in admissions decisions. Then-Assemblymember Phil Ting, D-S.F., who last year authored California's ban on legacy admissions, called the practice 'affirmative action for the wealthiest Americans.' Another critic, Stanford alumnus Ryan Cieslikowski, who has pushed for similar bans across the country, said Tuesday that 'by clinging to legacy preferences,' the university is sending the message that 'the children of wealthy alumni and donors come first.' Stanford says that no one who would have received state aid will be able to tell the difference, and they need to take no action. 'Stanford will substitute university scholarship funding for California student financial assistance programs, including the Cal Grant program,' the university told the Chronicle in an email Tuesday. Stanford already pays $486 million a year to fully cover the $67,731 tuition plus room and board for students from families with annual income of less than $100,000. Pulling out of the state aid program will cost the university about $4 million a year to make up the difference, campus officials said Tuesday, noting that about 440 Stanford undergraduates and 60 graduate students received Cal Grants or Golden State Teacher Grants last year. This year's maximum Cal Grant for private school attendance is $9,708. Yet the decision to spend more to preserve legacy and donor admissions comes as Stanford is preparing to permanently lay off or eliminate 363 staff jobs in October to reduce its budget by an unspecified amount in the face or rising costs driven in part by federal policy changes. This includes a new 8% tax on its endowment — up from 1.4% — that is expected to cost Stanford $200 million this year.
