Question about legacy designation on UVA application

<p>Does this year's UVA application have a specific place to indicate legacy status? There is a place on the common app where the applicant indicates where his/her parents went to college but is that the only place? The UVA supplement doesn't appear to have anything for it this year. Is that right?</p>

<p>Don’t know if they have changed it on the application, but regardless, legacy doesn’t get you anywhere at UVA anymore so don’t count on it being an advantage. Sorry. Too many legacies apply so it just can’t be something they can weight meaningfully…</p>

<p>Unless there’s been a major shift legacy applicants they are still recognized by admissions. OOS legacy applicant submissions are ‘read’ with the same criteria as instate. </p>

<p>If you are a legacy I would contact the alumni office and ask about the Alumni Liaison Program. </p>

<p><a href=“http://alumni.virginia.edu/admission/admission-liaison-program/[/url]”>http://alumni.virginia.edu/admission/admission-liaison-program/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>They offer valuable Legacy Information Sessions where the admissions procession is discussed, the students transcript reviewed, etc. This can also be done by webinar for those further away. There is no connection, or tip, with the Admissions office, however many have found it very helpful.</p>

<p>Colleges attended by parents are listed on the Common App in the family tab.</p>

<p>Legacy status can definitely help a non-Virginian.</p>

<p>If you don’t believe Dean J, here’s what Dean Roberts says:</p>

<p>"What are your thoughts on legacy admission? What is the current practice and will it continue? </p>

<p>While legacy admission has come under more intense scrutiny at colleges and universities around the country in recent years, we plan to maintain our current model, in which out-of-state legacy applicants are treated as if they are Virginians. The offer rate for Virginians to the University was 44 percent this year, the non-Virginian offer rate was 24 percent. There is a significant advantage to being a Virginian in our review. This fall 14 percent of the enrolling students are children of alumni."</p>

<p><a href=“http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/carrying_on_the_legacy/[/url]”>http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/carrying_on_the_legacy/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Just keep in mind that the date on that article is 2009. The numbers are a little different now.</p>

<p>Remember that you aren’t really a Virginian if you are an out-of-state legacy. Your tuition bill will prove that. You get an advantage in the admission process, but admission to UVa is selective for Virginians, too.</p>

<p>Legacy apps are read with a very qualified in-state applicant pool. I sometimes think folks look at in-state admission rates and forget about the impact of self-selection. Kids and parents in Virginia know UVa is a very tough ticket, and many don’t apply if their stats are not in the top tier of the high school class. And with the great value of in-state tuition, many top stats kids choose UVa rather than expensive private and OOS options. </p>

<p>Remember those legacies are still included in the OOS statistics that look so daunting.</p>

<p>Our D is a legacy for UVA and USC. As much as I may love my west coast school, as a resident of Virginia, it’s impossible to beat the value of UVA. </p>

<p>Great education, C’ville is beautiful, and did I mention ~$15k a year for tuition? If you are an out of state legacy, you get the bump of being in the in state pool which means higher chances of being accepted to one of our great universities.</p>

<p>As someone mentioned, the acceptance rate for legacies is approximately double the normal acceptance rate. You still have to be qualified but it’s nice to know that UVA considers ties to the university in it’s process.</p>

<p>UVA is very “legacy-friendly” for families. It contributes to strengthened school bonds for generations to come. As a legacy, you can gain an excellent degree and with the money you save, you will have an extra $100k for grad school…or a donation to the alumni association. :)</p>

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<p>Not to split hairs, but simply to clarify…the money saved you are referring to is attending UVa as a Virginia resident not any connection or benefit of being a legacy. </p>

<p>You do mention Va residency, however it is at the very beginning of your post. This stand alone statement could be misinterpreted.</p>

<p>No problem at all. Yes, I was saying that the increased opportunity to be accepted to UVA as a legacy makes it an excellent value. The savings I quoted was for instate legacies. The savings, if any, would be smaller for OOS.</p>

<p>Sadly, exactly $0 savings for OOS legacies. </p>

<p>I have never seen any mention of in-state legacy advantage in admissions.</p>

<p>For many middle income out of state families, UVa is a great bargain because of the University’s generous need-based financial aid. Only a small percentage of colleges meet 100% of the proven need of all US students. Many other colleges tell students to have their parents take out large PLUS loans and home equity loans to make up their gap in aid.</p>

<p>Charlie – wouldn’t you think the OOS bump given to legacies is mostly an effective device for attracting full payors of the higher OOS tuition?</p>

<p>When I attended UVA OOS, it was an awesome deal (because of low tuition rather than aid). For my legacy kids though, the price is pretty much full private school rate, but with very limited merit aid opportunities (like there are at many sub-Ivy privates). Still a great choice, but not really based on a lower net price (like it was in the good old days).</p>

<h2>I have never seen any mention of in-state legacy advantage in admissions.</h2>

<p>My notes (caveat: could be wrong, but I doubt it) listed the acceptance rate order as:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>In state legacies</p></li>
<li><p>In state or OOS legacies (they are put in the same pool as the in state applications. VA law requires UVA take 2/3s in state and 1/3 OOS so this is a bigger pool which increases your chances)</p></li>
<li><p>OOS no legacy</p></li>
</ul>

<p>Reach out to the alumni association’s Alumni Liaison Program. They are very helpful and they can provide you information on the value of legacy status for in state and OOS applications and your specific child’s application prospects.</p>

<p>ron4sc - Do you have any data showing instate legacy students being admitted at a higher rate then instate non-legacy students? It would certainly be an interesting and valuable datapoint to have.</p>

<p>I don’t know about the full pay angle, but the legacy admissions policy is partly motivated by the large amount of consistent donations that are provided by out of state alums to UVa. </p>

<p>I think more of the in-state alums are less likely to donate because they think their tax dollars are paying a share of the costs.</p>

<p>@blueiguana; I checked my notes about the increased percentage for instate legacies. It was orally mentioned at an alumni meeting for parents and potential legacies. I’d recommend contacting the alumni association and checking into the ALP for more details.</p>

<p>@charlieschm; I live in VA now and don’t have a problem contributing to the university. The problem is that UVA could do a better job of reminding their alumni base of how great an experience we had and to please reach for our checkbooks now that we are successful.</p>

<p>I don’t think anyone could fault UVa on the fundraising front, in-state or OOS. Their endowment speaks for itself. I am “reminded” regularly of the great experience – and received at least as much contact asking for money when I lived in state. I am not giving any additional money while I am paying full OOS tuition for my daughter, though I gave regularly before.</p>

<p>I think its quite brilliant marketing that UVa is on record only for reading OOS legacy with IS applications without providing any legacy-specific data, in state or OOS. Legacies can feel like they receive a benefit without any substantive numbers, and UVa can avoid questions from non-legacy taxpayers with such a vaguely worded advantage. I know many in-state legacies and double-legacies whose very qualified children were not admitted – all question whether any legacy advantage existed. Fewer examples of OOS admissions in my experience, though the legacies I know all had stats that were better than the 75th percentile for OOS, so impossible to tell if legacy status advantage was even needed.</p>

<p>I know many more legacies whose children were not admitted than whose kids were admitted.</p>