Harvard Sued After Being Accused Of Favoring Legacy Applicants

CAMBRIDGE, MA — Harvard University gives admission preference to the children and relatives of donors and alumni, most of whom are white, according to a civil rights complaint filed Monday that was obtained by the Boston Globe.

The complaint—which was filed with the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights by the Boston-based nonprofit Lawyers for Civil Rights on behalf of multiple local advocacy groups representing Black and Latino residents—calls for an end to legacy and donor-related admissions.

"Applicants whose relatives are wealthy donors to Harvard, or whose parents are Harvard alumni, are flagged at the outset of Harvard’s admissions process and are granted special solicitude and extra “tips” throughout," the complaint said. "The students who receive these special preferences (“Donor and Legacy Preferences”) are significantly more likely to be accepted than other applicants, and constitute up to 15% of Harvard’s admitted students."

According to the complaint, nearly 70% of donor-related applicants are white, and nearly 70% of legacy applicants are also white.

Furthermore, the complaint said that between 2014-2019, donor-related applicants were nearly 7 times more likely to be admitted compared to non-donor-related applicants, and legacy applicants were nearly 6 times more likely to be admitted compared to non-legacy applicants.

Read the full complaint in the Boston Globe.