<p>Does anybody know if legacy status helps that much? I know that they allocate 25% of each incoming to legacies, which is substantial. I am just wondering if many legacies are admitted with lower than the typical standardized test profile? Do they get any kind of admissions benefit or are all the legacies just like the other 75% admitted pool in terms of qualifications? </p>
<p>The benefit to being a legacy in the application process at ND cannot be overstated. Legacies will always make up between 20 and 25% of any class and over half of legacy applicants would not otherwise be admitted were they not legacies.</p>
<p>Thank you for the insight. Assuming stellar grades, EC’s and essays what do you think is the lower tier of SAT/ACT scores that could get a legacy admitted?</p>
<p>That I don’t know as the legacy applicants I know personally all were well within, if not at the top of, ND’s ranges in terms of test scores. If you are asking with a 28 would being a legacy. get you the boost you need, my guess would be probably not. I would say look at the profile for the most recent class and if you fit within the middle 50%, assuming everything else is as stellar as you say, you should be fine.</p>
<p>Thanks, any admitted legacies from recent years out there to add any insight?</p>
<p>I have 1.5 legacy cousins attending currently, but I can’t say that they were below average, just on anecdotal terms. One had the longest list of EC’s and honors I’ve seen, even on CC. Don’t let that discourage you, because I’m sure the stats are lower. Just guessing, but I’d assume half a point to a point less on ACT and .05 to .1 less GPA. Essays probably still have to be great.</p>
<p>1/2 legacy = St. Mary’s parent and ND grandfather 
</p>
<p>Just to add on something tangential:</p>
<p>Admitting legacies is very beneficial because 1) the yield is much higher, and 2) the alumni system is much stronger (think of the endowment!) which both compensate for the assumed minor blow to stats.</p>
<p>I believe I remember reading that Notre Dame considers legacies, for the purpose of the admissions process, as children of alums. Grandparents, aunties, uncles and any other family relations are not considered legacies when considering admissions eligibility.</p>
<p>Officially, yes. And that’s why I didn’t say the “.5” was truly a legacy.</p>
<p>Even if those without parent alums don’t get put in the legacy pool, it’s still beneficial to the application, however marginal that benefit is.</p>
<p>“Admitting legacies is very beneficial because 1) the yield is much higher, and 2) the alumni system is much stronger (think of the endowment!) which both compensate for the assumed minor blow to stats.”</p>
<p>From a financial perspective, legacy admissions are less about alumni donations and endowments (other than for huge donors – meaning the ones who have their names on buildings) and more about getting more full tuition payors.</p>
<p>The SES demographics of any school’s legacy pool will always be stronger than the overall pool. By definition, for example, the legacy pool will include zero kids who are first generation college (who typically need a lot of FA). Also, we know that people with college degrees (only about 40% of working age adults) make more money than those who don’t. One can also make a reasonable assumption that ND alumni families (on an overall basis) are financially better off than the pool of families with degrees from any and all universities.</p>
<p>So ND (and any other big legacy school) gets a higher acceptance yield from a pool more likely to pay full price. For many alumni families, the $250k they’ll pay for each admitted kid far exceeds the amount they will ever donate. The legacy admission gambit helps ND capture those available dollars and keeps them from going instead to Georgetown, BC etc. </p>
<p>Sorry about posting on an old thread, but does having more family members change your legacy weight? or is legacy just legacy, no matter the number?
(I have four: father, two aunts and an uncle)</p>
<p>It is to my understanding (though I could be wrong) that parents are only really considered for alumni status (i.e. your father).</p>
<p>OK. its just that on the Common App, its a drop down menu for Relationship and it lists many choices, so I would guess that ANY relation counts??? But who knows… </p>
<p>From what I’ve heard, having your application put in the alumni pile requires at least one parent who went to ND. So SMC, Uncles, Aunts, Grandparents, may help, but it isn’t what they’re referring to as legacy applicants.</p>
<p>I think the point is that after a pre-requisite of a parent alum, a host of other family member alumni could better indicate the likelihood that an applicant has the type of values or philosophy desired. /speculation</p>
<p>It seems to me that all the legacies I know who are current students have at, or above the average stats. My own kids-daughter '11 and son '17 had 4.5+ GPAs and 34/35 ACTs. </p>
<p>@Irishcali On a 5 point scale, or weighted?</p>
<p>Chance me please</p>
<p>-Third Gen Legacy (father+grandfather attended)
-GPA: 3.9
-ACT: 28 (29 Superscore with English:29, Math: 30, Reading:30, Science 27)
-Taking it again
-Public High School
-EC’s:
-Secretary of Habitat
-Member of DECA
-National Honor Society
-Math Honor Society
-Spanish Honor Society
-Business Honor Society/HS MBA
-Catholic Intramural Basketball League
-Volunteer at Summer Reading Program
-Volunteer at Homeless Shelter
-Volunteer in South America
-Volunteer at Soup Kitchen
-Other extracurriculars</p>
<p>Teacher Rec #1: Principal
Teacher Rec #2: AP US Teacher
Counselor Rec: Awesome</p>
<p>Wrote distinguishable CA Essay and will write heartfelt supplemental essays</p>
<p>-Visited the university</p>
<p>Applying regular decision!</p>
<p>I can’t say what your chances are, but I believe your ACT would put you in the bottom quartile of a typical class. I’ve heard and hope for my own kid’s sake that legacy is a big boost at ND, but I’ve also read on CC and elsewhere that test scores are very important for legacies and athletes as the school doesn’t want to report numbers for those groups that are far below the typical students. Good luck.</p>
<p>@doubtful I’m hoping legacy helps a lot too. I don’t have the highest GPA (all honors and AP courses), but ACT is 34 and I have many extracurriculars and leadership experience. Good luck to your kid!</p>