Overview:
The law will take effect in September 2025 and will affect a variety of institutions.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed AB 1780, a new law prohibiting private nonprofit colleges in California from considering legacy and donor preferences in their admissions processes. This move aligns private institutions with the University of California system, which eliminated legacy preferences in 1998. The legislation, authored by Assemblymember Phil Ting, aims to ensure admissions are based on merit, not wealth or personal connections, reducing biases in college admissions.
The new law marks a significant victory for critics of legacy admissions, a practice that has been heavily criticized at prestigious private institutions such as Stanford University and the University of Southern California. Set to take effect in September 2025, the law will not impact the upcoming admissions cycle, allowing time for schools to adjust their processes accordingly. This move aims to create a more equitable admissions landscape by ensuring merit-based evaluations.
Governor Newsom emphasized that higher education should be accessible to all based on merit, skill, and hard work, not familial connections or donations.
“In California, everyone should be able to get ahead through merit, skill, and hard work. The California Dream shouldn’t be accessible to just a lucky few, which is why we’re opening the door to higher education wide enough for everyone, fairly.”-Governor Gavin Newsom
The signing of AB 1780 follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling restricting the use of race in admissions, prompting advocates to push for more equitable admissions criteria. Private colleges in California will now be required to submit annual reports confirming compliance with the new regulations.
“If we value diversity in higher education, we must level the playing field. That means making the college application process more fair and equitable. Hard work, good grades and a well-rounded background should earn you a spot in the incoming class – not the size of the check your family can write or who you’re related to. I thank the Governor for agreeing with me and supporters of AB 1780 – that every student deserves a fair shot at their dream school.”- Assemblymember Phil Ting
With this ban, California becomes the fifth state to pass legislation to ban legacy or colleges giving advantages to relatives, alumni, or institutional donors admissions. Earlier this year, Maryland became the first state to pass a public and private legacy ban; however, Johns Hopkins stopped this practice in 2020. In August of this year, Illinois became the fourth state to pass a legacy admission prohibition, Colorado passed its ban in 2021, and Virginia did so earlier this year.
The law will take effect in September 2025 and affect private institutions that have traditionally considered family connections in admissions, including the University of Southern California, Stanford University, Claremont McKenna College, and Santa Clara University.
This legislation is a part of previous efforts from Gov. Newsom focused on access to higher education, which includes initiatives like:
- Two Years of Free Community College: Provided up to two years of community college tuition-free for first-time, full-time students and eligible returning students.
- Debt-Free College for Foster Students: Expanded the Middle-Class Scholarship to include the Fostering Futures program, covering students with experience in foster care to cover tuition, fees, and other related expenses enrolled in CSU and UC.
- Financial Aid Application Requirement: High schools are required to certify that their seniors complete the FAFSA/CADAA, ensuring that federal and state financial aid dollars are not left on the table by students in need.
- College Affordability: Major investments in college affordability, including support for the development of $2.1 billion to build affordable student housing at UC, CSU, and the community colleges, $115 million for Open Educational Resources at the California Community Colleges, $637.2 million to revise and strengthen the Middle-Class Scholarship program, and efforts to pursue zero-cost textbook courses and make the College Corps program permanent.
- Higher Education Opportunity for People with Intellectual Disabilities: Signed AB 447 to encourage CSU and UC to establish and maintain inclusive college programs for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities to promote inclusion, employment, and independent living.
- NCAA Name, Image, & Likeness: Signed legislation giving student-athletes in California the ability to benefit financially from their name, image, and likeness. This was the first law of its kind in the nation, and it led the NCAA to change its rules in July 2021.
