Reviving Equity: Penn's Secretive Reforms to Legacy Admissions Policy

The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) is reportedly refining its legacy admissions policy, according to interviews with 14 alumni, students, and college admissions experts. The school has made changes to its information webpage for first-year applicants that are so subtle that they have not been noticed by several admissions experts. While Penn’s definition of legacy applicants remains the same, the school no longer implies that legacies should apply through the Early Decision Program to have the best shot at getting in, and it has phased out admissions information sessions specifically for legacy families.

 The change in wording of the legacy policy is also causing confusion, with some critics stating that Penn is being less candid. The old wording used to tell legacy applicants that their status as a legacy would be given the “most consideration” during the Early Decision Program, but the new wording only says that legacies “receive thorough consideration in the application process.” Experts argue that the change could either add secrecy to Penn’s admission process or represent a small step toward eliminating the legacy policy completely.

Between 2017 and 2020, 22-25% of applicants admitted to Penn during Early Decision were legacies, according to data provided by Penn Admissions, and the rate at which legacies were accepted through ED has been higher than the rate at which they applied. However, Penn Admissions stopped sharing data on legacy admits for the Class of 2026 and Class of 2027 ED rounds. Penn’s current dean of admissions, Whitney Soule, stated that legacy is "one thing" considered by Penn, "but it doesn’t come in front of everything else," citing how most legacy applicants are rejected.