<p>People are always talking about what an advantage it is to be a legacy at an Ivy League School. Is this true at a state University or because there are so many in-state legacies that it really doesn't make a difference?</p>
<p>I don’t believe it is a factor at state schools.</p>
<p>The University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, for example, gives children of alumni four points; admission is determined on a 150-point scale.</p>
<p>[Legacy</a> Programs - Tradition or Exclusionary - StateUniversity.com Blog](<a href=“College and University Blog”>Legacy Programs - Tradition or Exclusionary - StateUniversity.com Blog)</p>
<p>*a 1999 study of the University of Virginia - widely regarded as a public “Ivy” - found that legacy students were 4.3 times more likely to get in over non-legacies with identical academic credentials. *</p>
<p>[Reason</a> Foundation Commentary: Legacy Admissions Hurt Middle-Class Students](<a href=“http://www.reason.org/commentaries/dalmia_20080318.shtml]Reason”>http://www.reason.org/commentaries/dalmia_20080318.shtml)</p>
<p>*The University of Florida, Florida State University and the University of Central Florida all give favor to the sons and daughters of alumni, awarding them admission based not only on grades and test scores but also on their family ties. *</p>
<p>[UF</a>, 2 others use ‘dirty little secret’ for alums’ kids](<a href=“http://www.palmbeachpost.com/state/content/state/epaper/2008/08/10/legacies0810.html]UF”>http://www.palmbeachpost.com/state/content/state/epaper/2008/08/10/legacies0810.html)</p>
<p>The three public universities in Iowa used to automatically award scholarships to out-of-state children and grandchildren of alumni. I haven’t checked this lately, so it may have changed. As I recall, the money was in the range of $1000 per year, which didn’t bring the tuition down to in-state range, but would have helped pay for textbooks.</p>
<p>UNC gives special consideration to children of out of state alum in undergraduate admissions. They are put in a special admissions pool and considered separately from other OOS applicants. Admitted children of OOS alumni have credentials somewhat lower than other OOS admitted applicants. It applies to OOS alum of both undergrad and graduate school.</p>
<p>I have been told that UVA also gives preference to children of OOS alum, but I don’t know for sure.</p>
<p>The effect of legacy varies among state colleges. UIUC states that it does not consider legacy in admissions. I believe the UCs are the same.</p>
<p>Wisconsin will use it as a slight advantage in close situations–for both in and OOS legacies.</p>
<p>It counts at lots of state schools, but as indicated here, perhaps not as much as at a private school. I know people who have gotten a boost when it was a close call.</p>
<p>Michigan Tech, a pretty good public engineering school in Houghton, doesn’t use legacy in admissions, but they do automatically give any admitted OOS student whose parent or grandparent graduated from Michigan Tech an “Alumni Legacy Award” equal to the difference between in-state and OOS tuition. Great deal for legacies.</p>
<p>One reason state schools like legacies is that they produce a higher yield, and legacies generally come in somewhat knowledgeable about, and predisposed toward liking, the college, the town, and the experience. It’s always helpful to have a core of students who are positive about the place.</p>
<p>It does not count at all at the nine University of California campuses. In fact, you’d be better off saying your parents never went to college and pick up some life challenges points 
LOL</p>
<p>bclintonk – </p>
<p>why would state schools care about yield? With the exception of five publics, none are in the Top 30, so does it really matter? I doubt their state charter makes any mention of yield.</p>
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<p>They aspire to be in the Top 30. Or if not that, as high as they can get. Believe me, all the Big Ten schools watch their US News rankings like hawks and jump through a lot of hoops trying to improve them, even though at present only two–Northwestern (private) and Michigan–are in the Top 30. But Wisconsin at #35 and UIUC at #40 aspire to make the Top 30, or Top 25, and have their sights perennially set on catching Michigan. Penn State at #43 wants to be considered in the same tier as Michigan, Wisconsin, and UIUC. Ohio State at #56 would like to be at least in the top half of the Big Ten and they’d give anything to catch Michigan academically if they can; failing that, they’ll just take out their frustrations on the gridiron. Minnesota at #61 would love to pass Wisconsin and challenge Michigan. Iowa (#66), Purdue (#66), Indiana (#71), and Michigan State (#71) want to be competing for the top tier of the Big Ten, not the bottom. There’s pressure to be more selective all the way down the line, and to move up in the US News rankings.</p>
<p>Why? It gets you better students, and it be a factor in helping you attract and retain better faculty. It helps in securing alumni donations. It signals to the legislature that the school is doing a good job, and hopefully brings rewards at appropriations time. It may give your graduates an edge in grad and professional school admissions, as well as in career placement, which not only helps them but may bring greater returns to the school later. And it brings psychic rewards to the school’s president, provost, deans, and faculty, who by and large believe passionately in academic excellence and would like to think they had some role in creating it and allowing it to flourish. </p>
<p>Of course none of this is written into their state charters. But neither is a goal of mediocrity.</p>
<p>Nice post.</p>