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AB 1780 – Prohibits Legacy Preference or Donor Preference in Admissions at Independent Institutions of Higher Education

CATEGORY: Private Education Matters
CLIENT TYPE: Private Education
DATE: Oct 25, 2024

Beginning September 1, 2025, Assembly Bill 1780 (AB 1780) prohibits an independent institution of higher education from providing a legacy preference or donor preference in admissions to an applicant as part of the regular or early action admissions process.

An independent institution of higher education is defined as a nonpublic higher education institution that grants undergraduate degrees, graduate degrees, or both, that is formed as a nonprofit corporation in California, that is accredited by an agency recognized by the United States Department of Education, and that receives, or benefits from, state-funded student financial assistance or that enrolls students who receive state-funded student financial assistance (Independent Institution).

AB 1780 requires, on or before June 30, 2026, and annually thereafter, each Independent Institution to report to the Legislature and the Department of Justice on whether it is in compliance for all enrolled students or in violation of these provisions.

If the Independent Institution violated the prohibition of providing a legacy preference or donor preference in admissions, it must also report, for that academic year, (1) the legacy status, donor status, race, county of residence, income brackets, and athletic status of newly enrolled students; and (2) the admission rate of students who are provided a legacy preference or donor preference in admissions, as compared to the admission rate of students who are not provided a legacy preference or donor preference in admissions. This data will be publicly available in the aggregate in a manner that does not identify any individual.

The Department of Justice must post the names of the Independent Institutions that violate the prohibition on its internet website by the next fiscal year.

(AB 1780 adds section 66018.4 to the Education Code.)

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