RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The Virginia Senate has voted in support of a bill that would end legacy admissions — the practice of giving college applicants preferential treatment if a family member previously attended the school.
The bill, submitted by chief patron Sen. Schuyler VanVulkenburg, D-Henrico, passed unanimously in the Senate with a total of 39 votes on Tuesday, Jan. 23.
According to the bill, if it were to become law, colleges and universities would be prohibited from “providing any manner of preferential treatment in the admissions decision to any student applicant on the basis of such student’s legacy status.”
The push to end legacy admissions has seen bipartisan support from the likes of Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares.
A number of educational institutions, such as Virginia Tech, changed admission policies in 2023 after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled an applicant’s race could not be taken into account when evaluating their application.
A version of the bill in the Virginia House of Delegates was recommended by the Higher Education Subcommittee on Monday, Jan. 22.