The Harvard Crimson reported that the school’s acceptance rate for legacy applicants has hovered around 30%—more than four times the regular admission rate—in recent admissions cycles.
Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William R. Fitzsimmons ’67 told the Crimson that Harvard’s undergraduate population is comprised of 12 to 13 percent legacies, a group he defined as children of Harvard College alumni and Radcliffe College alumnae.
According to the Crimson article, Fitzsimmons’ comments came the week after a discussion at New York University on legacy admissions.
The New York Times story about the event stated that Yale rejected 80% of its legacy applicants and that Yale legacies comprise less than 10% of the class.
