Princeton University will continue using a “legacy preference” for applicants when making decisions on undergraduate admissions.
The children of alumni who have applied to Princeton have received a small edge from the university. Legacy status of applicants has been used as a tie-breaker between applicants in limited instances, according to the university.
An Ad Hoc Committee on Undergraduate Admission Policy established by the Princeton University Board of Trustees to examine the university’s admission policies released a March report where the committee stated its support for the continued and limited use of the tie-breaker legacy preference but cautioned against any expansion of it.
“If not properly managed, the legacy preference may modestly affect the University’s
ability to achieve its socioeconomic diversity goals,” the report states, adding that the committee recommends the university continue to carefully monitor the effects and implementation of the legacy preference.
In the report, the committee notes that on average, the legacy preference benefits fewer than 30 students per year, or less than 2% of admitted students.
“The few students who do benefit from the legacy preference all have academic and extracurricular profiles fully comparable to those of the most talented applicants.”
They called the effects of legacy preference on the racial diversity of the university’s undergraduate population “exaggerated and misunderstood.”
“First, the legacy preference affects so few students that it has little effect on the overall
composition of the University’s undergraduate population,” the report added.
“Second, Princeton’s alumni population is increasingly diverse in terms of race and ethnicity; it is expected that the pool of alumni children who apply for admission will soon be at least as diverse as the overall pool in those respects.”
The committee which was created in 2023 had come about following the U.S. Supreme Court decisions to eliminate affirmative action from college admission decisions.
Following the committee’s March report, the Princeton Board of Trustees in late March announced the university’s financial aid and Pell grant enrollment goals.
The university has set a goal to have an ungraduated population that is at least 70% eligible for need-based financial aid and at least 22% eligible for Pell Grants. Pell Grants are a federal program providing need-based grants.
“Princeton’s excellence depends upon attracting and supporting talent from all sectors of society,” President Christopher Eisgruber said.
“I am grateful to the board for its vigorous commitment to the diversity of our student body and for these thoughtful recommendations about how best Princeton can create new opportunities for students from all backgrounds.”
Princeton students who are eligible for Pell Grants has increased from the Class of 2008’s 7% to 20% in recent years, according to the university. Financial aid has also increased in the same time period from 52% to 67% in the class of 2027.
In 2001, the university eliminated loans from their financial aid packages and replaced them with grants.
