The Impact of Legacy Admission Bans in Maryland and Virginia

The college admissions process in the Mid-Atlantic region has undergone a significant transformation in 2024. Following a national conversation on fairness and merit, Maryland and Virginia have enacted laws that strictly prohibit public universities from granting preferential treatment to the children of alumni. For students applying to schools like the University of Virginia or the University of Maryland, this means the “legacy advantage” is officially a thing of the past.

Virginia’s Historic Move Against Legacy Admissions

Virginia took decisive action earlier this year to level the playing field at its prestigious public universities. On March 8, 2024, Governor Glenn Youngkin signed identical bills, House Bill 48 and Senate Bill 46, into law. This legislation bans Virginia’s public colleges and universities from giving admissions preference to applicants based on their family’s relationship with the institution or their history of donations.

This new law, which went into effect on July 1, 2024, applies to all public higher education institutions in the Commonwealth. This includes highly selective schools such as:

• University of Virginia (UVA): Historically, UVA has had a strong tradition of legacy admissions. This law fundamentally changes how they review thousands of applications.
• William & Mary: Another selective public institution that must now ignore alumni connections during the selection process.
• Virginia Tech: The ban applies here as well, impacting a large volume of in-state and out-of-state applicants.
• James Madison University (JMU) and George Mason University: These schools also fall under the new regulation.

The legislation passed unanimously in both the Virginia House of Delegates and the Senate. This bipartisan support highlights a shift in perspective. Lawmakers agreed that tax-funded institutions should prioritize individual achievement over family lineage.

Maryland Follows Suit with House Bill 4

Shortly after Virginia’s legislative success, Maryland implemented its own restrictions. Governor Wes Moore signed House Bill 4 in April 2024, which also took effect on July 1, 2024. This law prohibits public institutions of higher education in Maryland from considering a student’s legacy status or a donor’s relationship to the university as a factor in admissions.

The primary target of this legislation is the University of Maryland system, specifically the flagship campus at College Park. While the University of Maryland had previously stated that legacy status was a minor factor compared to grades and rigor, the new law codifies this practice. It ensures that a “tie-breaker” scenario can no longer be decided by whether an applicant’s parents attended the school.

Key Differences for Private Colleges

It is important to note the distinction between public and private schools in these laws.

• Public Universities: The ban is total. Schools like UMD and Towson University cannot consider legacy status.
• Private Universities: In Maryland, the law does not strictly ban legacy admissions at private colleges like Johns Hopkins University. However, it places pressure on them by limiting state funding eligibility if they continue the practice, or requiring strict reporting. This creates a financial incentive for private institutions to reconsider their policies as well.

Why These Bans Are Happening Now

The timing of these laws is directly linked to the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. That ruling effectively ended affirmative action, making it illegal for colleges to consider race as a specific factor in admissions.

Following that decision, critics argued that if colleges could no longer consider race to help underrepresented groups, they should also stop considering lineage, which historically benefits wealthy and white applicants.

Legacy admissions have long been criticized for perpetuating socioeconomic inequality. Data often suggests that legacy applicants are wealthier and less racially diverse than the general applicant pool. By removing this preference, Maryland and Virginia aim to create a meritocratic system where admission is based solely on a student’s academic performance, extracurricular achievements, and personal character.

How This Changes the Application Strategy

For high school seniors and transfer students looking at schools in Maryland and Virginia, the removal of legacy preferences simplifies the application strategy but increases competition based on merit.

What No Longer Matters

If your parents or grandparents attended UVA, Virginia Tech, or UMD, you can certainly mention it in a personal essay if it shaped your life or character. However, checking a box on the application stating you are a “relation of an alumnus” will no longer trigger an automatic review boost. The admissions officers are legally required to blind themselves to that data point for decision-making purposes.

What Matters More

With lineage removed from the equation, other factors gain slightly more weight:

1. Course Rigor: Taking Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or Dual Enrollment courses is the best way to demonstrate readiness.
2. GPA: Your grade point average remains the single most important metric.
3. Essays and Supplements: Because admissions officers cannot rely on family history to understand a student’s fit, the personal statement becomes the primary vehicle for showing personality.
4. Geography: For state schools, being a resident of Maryland or Virginia is still a significant advantage over out-of-state applicants, regardless of legacy status.

The National Trend

Virginia became the second state in the nation to ban legacy admissions at public universities, following Colorado, which passed a similar ban in 2021. Maryland followed shortly after. This indicates a growing regional momentum in the Mid-Atlantic.

Other elite universities have voluntarily dropped the practice. For instance, Johns Hopkins University (a private institution in Maryland) eliminated legacy preferences several years ago and reported a subsequent increase in the diversity of its incoming classes. The new state laws mandate what some institutions were already beginning to do voluntarily.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the legacy ban apply to private schools in Virginia? No. The Virginia law (HB 48) applies specifically to public institutions. Private colleges in Virginia, such as the University of Richmond or Washington and Lee University, are currently free to set their own admissions policies regarding legacy applicants.

Will being a donor help my child get into University of Maryland? No. Maryland House Bill 4 specifically prohibits public universities from considering “a donor’s relationship to the institution” alongside legacy status. Writing a check will not legally improve an applicant’s chances of acceptance at a public university in Maryland.

When did these laws take effect? Both the Maryland and Virginia laws became effective on July 1, 2024. This means they are fully active for the current admissions cycle for students entering college in the Fall of 2025.

Do these laws ban letters of recommendation from alumni? Generally, you can still submit letters of recommendation. However, the weight of a letter comes from how well the writer knows the applicant’s work and character. A letter from a prominent alumnus who has never met the student will carry no weight and may be disregarded under the spirit of the new laws.

Did the universities fight these laws? In Virginia, the bill passed unanimously, and university representatives generally testified that they were prepared to comply. Many university leaders publicly acknowledged that the landscape of admissions had changed following the Supreme Court ruling, and these state laws were a logical next step to ensure public trust in the system.