The Future of College Admissions is Changing

Miguel Barrios

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Abstract

In the aftermath of the Supreme Court's 2023 decision to end the practice of affirmative action, local and state legislatures have grappled with how to proceed in fostering academic equity. Lawmakers were quick to point out that if race-conscious voting is not appropriate in the college admissions process, so too is legacy preference. To that end, California has become the most recent state to institute a statewide ban on legacy preference that extends to private institutions. As pressure mounts on elite schools to reconsider their role in facilitating nepotism in college admissions, state legislatures sit back as schools respond by maintaining that legacy preference is key to maintaining a robust donor base. The possibility of a federal ban of the practice remains on the table, with a bipartisan proposition currently under review. How colleges and governments react in the coming months will determine to what extent the future of college admissions changes, but for many students, that change has already arrived.

I. Introduction

On June 29, 2023, the United States Supreme Court voted to end a long-held practice in the college admissions process: race-conscious voting. This practice, otherwise known as affirmative action, was seen as a means of addressing the sweeping educational disparity between white and minority students, a disparity forged by years of institutional restrictions on academic opportunities for minority students. Supporters of affirmative action touted its ability to allow students to compete and participate in the meritocracy our country seeks to foster. Despite its perceived virtues, affirmative action was viewed by the conservative majority in the court not only as a lapse in Constitutional interpretation but a threat to this very meritocracy. Admission to American universities should primarily depend on a student’s academic credentials. The promise that someone can work hard and get ahead is central to beliefs held in the national psyche; promises like these define the American Dream. Race-blind admissions processes that consider an applicant’s financial background pose a severe double standard that threatens the underlying foundation of the American Dream. In light of this issue, drastic changes have recently been made to the college admissions process across the country; private. . .

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