Do students who have faculty (or staff) parents who work at a college that they want to attend gets equal benefit (higher chance of getting in.) as students who have a parents who attended the college. (assuming that the college is top 30?
There isn’t a whole lot of information on this topic and I’m sure it can vary a lot depending on the school. But, here’s what I understand:
- There are actually a lot of legacies out there and the impact of legacy itself depends very much on the school and whether or not you’re applying early.
- Having a parent that is (teaching) faculty can have significantly more impact. However, this again really depends on how respected that faculty member is.
It varies widely from school to school. I know at UT-Austin, you get NO benefit from having your parent as a faculty member.
@Burdened do you mean that legacies who apply early have more chances than legacies who apply regular?
@caliii1999 That depends on a school-by-school basis. Most schools post their legacy policy on their websites. For example, some schools don’t consider legacy at all unless you apply ED. It depends.
At some schools where students are eligible for a tuition benefit if their parents work for the school, they are often advised/required to apply early to obtain that benefit. If you are so eligible, have your parents check to determine any special deadlines you might have to follow.
@Burdened is mistaken. The “fac-brat” hook is one of the strongest “hooks” any applicant can have (save for situations like MaineLonghorn said – which I find strange, to be honest). Also it’s not based on “how respected” the faculty member is – that’s foolish. It’s part of the labor agreement that the parent signs with the college – it’s considered a fringe benefit.
That being said, the fac-brat still needs to be within range of the typical admit. Like other posters have said, have your parent(s) speak with their Human Relations department. They’ll know how to advise your parents and you to navigate this benefit. Good luck
At my college fac brats got free tuition (not sure about room/board).
At many private colleges the standards are relaxed slightly for faculty dependents. Probably not at top 30 colleges. Duke has a great benefit that can be used at other schools - put in place in part because so few faculty kids could get admitted to Duke.
It’s seen as a retention tool for faculty - top 30 schools don’t have to worry as much about retention.
A Princeton fac-brat was allowed to attend part time and took 7 years to complete her degree. She could not handle a full course load.
I think do think it matters where your parent stands in the university. The child of someone who works as a lab assistant in a university is not going to get the same treatment as the child of a tenured faculty member. And it certainly depends on the school size. An LAC in a rural town is going to give consideration to all children of employees, while a larger university which has tens of thousands of staff members (somewhere like UT or Stanford), just can’t give the same consideration to children of all staff members and will naturally draw lines for different types. Abilities of the student, of course, matter, and no connection to the university will overcome a student who isn’t qualified to be accepted on their own merits. Both my parents taught at Boston area schools, and although I didn’t apply to either school I doubt I would have gotten into either place because my high school grades didn’t meet their standards.
A school might bend the admissions policies a bit more for “rock-star” faculty, for example those who bring in large grants or who have well-known publications.