New California law bans legacy admissions, donor preferences at private universities

Private universities in California can no longer consider legacy and donor preferences in the admissions process under a bill that was signed into law Monday.

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday signed Assembly Bill 1780 which prohibits legacy admissions or those from family members of major donors at private and nonprofit institutions. The legislation, which was authored by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), was passed in the Legislature following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling last summer restricting the use of race in college admissions .

After the ruling, proponents of AB 1780 pushed for admissions criteria that ensured other factors such as wealth or personal relationships do not give students an unfair advantage in admissions decisions.

AB 1780 aims to ensure that admissions decisions are based solely on merit and to reduce bias in the admissions process at private colleges in California. The state's public universities have prohibited such considerations from their admissions process since 1998.

"If we value diversity in higher education, we must level the playing field," said Ting in a press statement . "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."

"In California, everyone should be able to get ahead through merit, skill, and hard work," Newsom said in a statement. "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."

As part of the new law, private colleges and universities in California must submit an annual report to disclose their compliance.