Newsom signs bill banning legacy, donor admissions

Last year, 14.5% of USC’s admits were either legacy or donor applicants.

By DHRUV REDDY & SEAN CAMPBELL
Gavin Newsom at podium, smiling
California is the second state to ban legacy admissions at private universities. The first was Maryland. (Gage Skidmore / Flickr)

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law banning legacy and donor admissions at private California universities, including USC, Monday. Last year, 14.5% of the University’s admitted students were either legacy or donor applicants.

In a statement to the Daily Trojan, the University wrote that all admitted students meet its “high academic standards” based on a “holistic review” process that factors in how they contribute to the USC community.


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“We are fortunate that USC remains a top destination for so many accomplished students across the country and world, and we are always looking to evolve our admissions processes and recruitment efforts to bring as many of these students to USC as we can. We will do so in compliance with the law,” the statement read.

Assembly Bill 1780 makes California the second state to ban legacy admissions for private schools, following Maryland’s decision in April.

“In California, everyone should be able to get ahead through merit, skill, and hard work,” Newsom wrote in a press release. “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.”

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