Harvard under fire for helping elite skip the queue

For centuries, the streets of Harvard’s red-bricked campus have borne the heels of America’s future leaders, from Teddy Roosevelt to Mark Zuckerberg. The ability of the oldest university in the US to propel students into the upper echelons of politics, business and tech has made admission highly coveted. But the way it chooses who gets the golden ticket is being closely scrutinised.

Earlier this year, a landmark Supreme Court decision dismantled affirmative action, making it illegal for Harvard and other universities to give admission preference to under-represented minorities.

Harvard said the change would make it harder for it to recruit a diverse student body. But the court proceedings also blew open what many had long suspected – that the school gives preference to the children of alumni.

The policy, known as legacy admissions, is practised by dozens of elite American universities, including the eight schools in the Ivy League, as well as many other private and elite public universities. It means if a close relative attended that university then you might be preferred to an applicant of similar strength whose parents did not.

via www.bbc.com

Not just related to alumni, but alumni who make substantial donations, as in $1M plus. Anything less might get you a second look, but probably no more.