If a parent went to Columbia, does that actually make a difference?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Columbia University
1

<p>People say you'll get in with just decent grades if you have a parent who went to Columbia.</p>

<p>Is that true? How much of an impact does it have on your chances of getting in?</p>

2

<p>sadly that’s the truth. It’s one of the few things that are wrong with all the Ivy League and top schools</p>

3

<p>I mean, it makes a difference. But the idea that “you’ll get in with just decent grades if you’re a legacy” is absurd. 93% of all applicants are rejected. Many of those rejected applicants are legacies.</p>

<p>Columbia actually has a relatively small percentage of students who are legacies: they usually make up about 5% of each class (around 60 students each year). That’s much less than schools like Princeton and Harvard.</p>

<p>edit: I forgot, WikiCU keeps track of the legacy percentage each year: <a href=“http://www.wikicu.com/Legacy_student[/url]”>http://www.wikicu.com/Legacy_student&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;