Colleges that Consider Legacy Status
So-called 鈥渓egacy applicants,鈥 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 鈥減rimary legacy鈥 status into consideration鈥攚here one or both of the applicant鈥檚 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. 国产第一福利影院草草鈥 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 institutional websites and 2024-2025 Common Data Set (CDS) forms.
Table updated November 2025
| Institution | Alumni Relation/Legacy Status | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 138600 | Agnes Scott College | Considered | |
| 210669 | Allegheny College | Not Considered | |
| 131159 | American University | AU | Not Considered |
| 164465 | Amherst College | Not Considered | |
| 197869 | Appalachian State University | App State | Not 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 | Not 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 | Considered |
| 164988 | Boston University | BU | Not 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 | Not 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 | Not Considered | |
| 211440 | Carnegie Mellon University | CMU | Not Considered |
| 201645 | Case Western Reserve University | Considered | |
| 131283 | Catholic University of America | Not Considered | |
| 156408 | Centre College | Considered | |
| 230852 | Champlain College | Not Considered | |
| 111948 | Chapman University | Not Considered | |
| 112260 | Claremont McKenna College | CMC | Considered |
| 165334 | Clark University | Not Considered | |
| 190044 | Clarkson University | Not Considered | |
| 217882 | Clemson University | Considered | |
| 161086 | Colby College | Considered | |
| 190099 | Colgate University | Considered | |
| 217819 | College of Charleston | Considered | |
| 160959 | College of the Atlantic | Not 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 | 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 | Not Considered | |
| 202523 | Denison University | Considered | |
| 144740 | DePaul University | Considered | |
| 150400 | DePauw University | Considered | |
| 212009 | Dickinson College | Considered | |
| 153269 | Drake University | Not 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 | Not Considered |
| 133669 | Florida Atlantic University | FAU | Not Considered |
| 133881 | Florida Institute of Technology | Considered | |
| 133951 | Florida International University | FIU | Not Considered |
| 134079 | Florida Southern College | Considered | |
| 134097 | Florida State University | FSU | Not Considered |
| 191241 | Fordham University | Not Considered | |
| 212577 | Franklin and Marshall College | F&M | Considered |
| 441982 | Franklin W Olin College of Engineering | Not Considered | |
| 218070 | Furman University | Not Considered | |
| 232186 | George Mason University | GMU | Not Considered |
| 131469 | George Washington University | GWU | Considered |
| 131496 | Georgetown University | Considered | |
| 139861 | Georgia College & State University | Not Considered | |
| 139755 | Georgia Institute of Technology | Georgia Tech | Not Considered |
| 139940 | Georgia State University | Not Considered | |
| 212674 | Gettysburg College | Not Considered | |
| 235316 | Gonzaga University | Not 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 | Not Considered | |
| 166027 | Harvard University | Considered | |
| 115409 | Harvey Mudd College | HMC | Not Considered |
| 212911 | Haverford College | Considered | |
| 107080 | Hendrix College | Not 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 | Not Considered |
| 145646 | Illinois Wesleyan University | Not Considered | |
| 151351 | Indiana University-Bloomington | IUB | Not Considered |
| 153603 | Iowa State University | Not Considered | |
| 191968 | Ithaca College | Considered | |
| 232423 | James Madison University | JMU | Not 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 | Not Considered | |
| 192323 | Le Moyne College | Considered | |
| 213543 | Lehigh University | Considered | |
| 209056 | Lewis & Clark College | Not Considered | |
| 159391 | Louisiana State University | LSU | Not Considered |
| 117946 | Loyola Marymount University | LMU | Not Considered |
| 146719 | Loyola University Chicago | LUC | Considered |
| 163046 | Loyola University Maryland | Not Considered | |
| 173902 | Macalester College | Considered | |
| 161299 | Maine Maritime Academy | Not Considered | |
| 192819 | Marist College | Not Considered | |
| 239105 | Marquette University | Not Considered | |
| 166683 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | MIT | Not Considered |
| 140447 | Mercer University | Not Considered | |
| 204024 | Miami University-Oxford | Considered | |
| 171100 | Michigan State University | MSU | Not 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 | Not Considered | |
| 166939 | Mount Holyoke College | MHC | Considered |
| 214175 | Muhlenberg College | Considered | |
| 262129 | New College of Florida | Not 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 | Not Considered |
| 199193 | North Carolina State University | NC State | Not Considered |
| 167358 | Northeastern University | Not Considered | |
| 147767 | Northwestern University | Considered | |
| 204501 | Oberlin College | Considered | |
| 120254 | Occidental College | Oxy | Not 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 | Not Considered |
| 121150 | Pepperdine University | Not 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 | Not Considered | |
| 195003 | Rochester Institute of Technology | RIT | Considered |
| 136950 | Rollins College | Considered | |
| 152318 | Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | RHIT | Not 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 | Not Considered | |
| 236595 | Seattle University | Considered | |
| 195474 | Siena College | Considered | |
| 167783 | Simmons University | Not Considered | |
| 195526 | Skidmore College | Not Considered | |
| 167835 | Smith College | Considered | |
| 399911 | Soka University of America | Not Considered | |
| 228246 | Southern Methodist University | SMU | Considered |
| 228343 | Southwestern University | Important | |
| 141060 | Spelman College | Not Considered | |
| 195216 | St. Lawrence University | SLU | Not Considered |
| 174844 | St. Olaf College | Considered | |
| 163976 | St. John's College (MD) | Not Considered | |
| 245652 | St. John's College (NM) | Not Considered | |
| 163912 | St. Mary's College of Maryland | Not 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 | Not Considered | |
| 167996 | Stonehill College | Considered | |
| 196097 | Stony Brook University | Considered | |
| 196219 | SUNY at Purchase College | Considered | |
| 196167 | SUNY College at Geneseo | Not Considered | |
| 196103 | SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry | Considered | |
| 216287 | Swarthmore College | Considered | |
| 196413 | Syracuse University | Not 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 Considered | |
| 164076 | Towson University | Not 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 | Not 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 | Not 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 | Not 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 | Not 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 | Not Considered |
| 135726 | University of Miami | UM | Not Considered |
| 170976 | University of Michigan | UMich | Not Considered |
| 174233 | University of Minnesota-Duluth | Not Considered | |
| 174251 | University of Minnesota-Morris | Not Considered | |
| 174066 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | UMN | Not 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 | Not 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 | Not Considered | |
| 236328 | University of Puget Sound | Important | |
| 121691 | University of Redlands | Considered | |
| 217484 | University of Rhode Island | URI | Not 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 | Not 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 | Not Considered | |
| 230764 | University of Utah | Not Considered | |
| 231174 | University of Vermont | UVM | Not Considered |
| 234076 | University of Virginia | UVA | Not 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 | Not Considered |
| 152673 | Wabash College | Considered | |
| 199847 | Wake Forest University | Considered | |
| 234207 | Washington and Lee University | W&L; WLU | Considered |
| 164216 | Washington College | Not 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 | Not Considered | |
| 216764 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania | Not Considered | |
| 238032 | West Virginia University | WVU | Not Considered |
| 125727 | Westmont College | Not Considered | |
| 149781 | Wheaton College (IL) | Considered | |
| 168281 | Wheaton College (MA) | Not Considered | |
| 237057 | Whitman College | Considered | |
| 125763 | Whittier College | Considered | |
| 210401 | Willamette University | Not 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
2025 Edition
A Guide to What America's Top Schools Can Do for You
