Right now, students do not have protection from unfair admissions practices that prioritize money over merit — especially because right here in New York, legacy preference is still legal.
Why is this wrong?
Legacy preferences provide an automatic advantage in college admissions decisions to applicants whose family members attended the same college. This advantage is completely unearned and bears no relation to merit.
What makes it even worse is that legacy preferences provide an unfair advantage to the students who already enjoy the most advantages in the process. Most legacies at elite colleges come from the richest families in America.
New data from the incoming Class of 2028 reveals significant declines in enrollment among students of color at elite colleges in New York:
At Columbia and Cornell, Black student enrollment in the first-year class dropped between 40% and 50%.
Hispanic/Latino enrollment dropped by nearly 40% at Cornell.
Introduced by New York State Senator Andrew Gounardes (S.2237) and Assembly Member Latrice Walker (A.2125).
Prohibits universities from including information about where an applicant’s relatives attend college in that applicant’s admissions file.
Imposes a civil penalty of $50,000 on colleges who are found to violate the law.
Yes, we can!
3 out of every 4 Americans support ending legacy admissions.
Several states, including California, have banned legacy as of November 2024.
New York can do it, too! And 2025 is the year to end legacy admissions.
Organizations across New York support ending legacy admissions!
New York lawmakers support ending legacy admissions!
Senator Andrew Gounardes
Senator Cordell Cleare
Senator Leroy Comrie
Senator Nathalia Fernandez
Senator Kristen Gonzalez
Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal
Senator Robert Jackson
Senator John Liu
Senator Rachel May
Senator Zellnor Myrie
Senator Jessica Ramos
Senator Christopher J. Ryan
Senator Julia Salazar
Senator James Sanders, Jr.
Senator Luis R. Sepulveda
Senator James Skoufis
Assemblymember Latrice Walker
Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn
Assemblymember Brian Cunningham
Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz
Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani
Assemblymember Philip Ramos
Assemblymember Karines Reyes
Assemblymember Jonathan Rivera
Assemblymember Rebecca Seawright
Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha
Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon
Assemblymember Phara Souffrant Forrest
Assemblymember Al Taylor