We hear it all the time, “My kid is a legacy so of course, they are going to get in.” We, however, hate hearing this. Mostly because it's simply not true. And it's especially not true at a school like Harvard. Harvard has one of the lowest if not the lowest acceptance rate in America… really take that in. Of course, something as simple as legacy status is not going to make a student a lock.
If you read this and immediately started hyperventilating, we get it. So let’s talk about what is really going on with legacy admissions at Harvard and what your legacy student should be doing to help them get in.
Not all legacies get into Harvard
In 2022, representatives from Harvard had to testify about their donor and alumni admissions practices in front of the Supreme Court. Schools are usually very tight-lipped about their legacy acceptance rate, but because of the court case we know more about Harvard’s legacy admission rate. Between 2014 and 2019, the acceptance rate for legacies was 33 percent while Harvard’s overall acceptance rate was about 6 percent.
However, that was 2019 and we think that their legacy acceptance rate has gone down since for two reasons: 1) If you have to go to the supreme court due to your practices, you might change those practices and 2) Harvard’s most recent acceptance rate was not 6 percent, it was 3.2 percent. We have heard rumors that Harvard’s legacy admission rate was 16 percent for the class of 2025, however, the school did not confirm that number when we asked (but it sounds about right to us in our professional opinion.)
Even if it still was 33 percent… that means 67 percent of legacies don’t get in. Let us say that one more time, the majority of legacies do not get in. If you were hoping on coasting on that legacy status, your student isn’t going to be in that 16-33 percent that make it in. They have to be a competitive candidate.
And even worse, you have to be competitive against other legacies.
It’s not Animal House rules anymore
We blame 1980s movies for what most people think about legacies. There is a certain stereotype of lazy, rich kids who aren’t exactly the sharpest tool in the shed getting in because their dad did.
This isn’t true at least for the legacy candidates who get in. It’s true that legacy candidates often come from families with more money, however, that means their parents invest in their education. This includes going to the best high schools, having (often multiple) tutors, working with college counselors (yes, that’s us), and leveraging privilege into exceptional extracurriculars. This means legacies are highly competitive candidates in their own right. And they are competing against other legacies. Your legacy needs to stand out against this competitive, well-funded, often type-A field of candidates.
What does Harvard say about legacy admissions?
Harvard has published this FAQ:
“Are a student’s chances of admission enhanced if a relative has attended Harvard? The application process is the same for all candidates. Among a group of similarly distinguished applicants, the daughters and sons of College alumni/ae may receive an additional look.”
This is kind of wishy-washy language but, at the very least, they are looking at legacy candidates more. So what will they see when they look at your legacy candidate? What will make them competitive?
Aka How will my legacy student stand out?
Step 1: Grades
This is true of all students, but to be considered, your kid needs great grades. Perfect grades. If you search around online, you will see a lot of sources that say students need a “4.18 GPA” to get into Harvard. Take this number, and everything on the internet, with a big grain of salt. Not because they are necessarily wrong, but because they haven’t been confirmed by the university. BUT, we can tell you based on our students who have gotten into Harvard, and our sources at Harvard, anything below a 3.9 will not cut it. Not everyone got a 4.1 GPA, but if your kid has a 3.6, it might be time to look elsewhere.
Most of the legacy students we work with also work with top-tier academic tutors. Their families pay big bucks to ensure that their legacy doesn’t dip below a 3.9. The reason for this? Grades are the most important part of any application. We like to think about admissions as a series of doors. Having good grades gets you through the first door. If you don’t have the grades, the rest of your application (no matter how good) probably won’t get you through to the second round.
Harvard is extremely competitive when it comes to grades. Think 3.9 and up. And that GPA should come from the most challenging classes. Your legacy needs to be pushing themselves and excelling.
Step 2: Scores of Scores
Harvard is currently still test-optional, but especially if your student has a lower GPA (when we say lower we are talking about 3.85… Harvard is, again, crazy) having great test scores is the boost they need. Even if they have great grades, we don’t advise skipping out on scores.
Almost every legacy we have ever worked with has also worked with elite SAT/ACT tutors. This means spending a lot of time to get a 35 on the ACT routinely. If your student isn’t getting great test scores or working with a tutor to get those scores as inflatedly high as they can be, they won’t be a competitive legacy candidate.
Step 3: Everything else
Going back to our door metaphor, if grades (and scores) get your student through the first door, your student now standing in a room of highly competitive candidates. This is the time to let their essays and extracurriculars shine.
The extracurricular activities have to be niche and interesting. The student cannot simply be in a few clubs. When we work with legacy students, we identify a macro area they are interested in and then find at least two to three levels of specificity. So, for example, a student will say they are interested in biology. We will work with them to help them discover that they are interested in botany within biology, and soil composition within botany. We will then help them start clubs and secure research opportunities.
The essays need to be absolutely spectacular. Most legacy candidates work with a college advisor (this is where we come in). We package the student in the best possible way. While many start working with an advisor in their junior spring as students start planning for college, we often work with legacy juniors and sophomores. We do this to make sure students are taking on the right extracurriculars, projects, and leadership roles to make prep them to be killer candidates.
Step 4: Not all legacies are made equal
This is the slimy part of legacy admissions. This is less about the student and more about the parents. Harvard has a lot of alumni. The Harvard Alumni Association has 400,000 members. Just like your student needs to stand out… you need to stand out. If your only involvement with the school is giving $100 a year and never showing up to an event, you are not the most important alumni. If you are hoping to use your alumni status to help get your kid in, you should be pushing yourself to be an involved alumnus.
Step 5: The Final Door
Legacy status works best when it is attached to a competitive candidate. Harvard has such a low acceptance rate that not all qualified candidates get in. It’s a hard truth of admissions at elite universities. A lot of great candidates don’t get in. With only a 3 percent acceptance rate, a lot of qualified students simply don’t get in because there are not enough seats at the table. This is where legacy status helps. If your student is in a big pool of qualified candidates who all have great grades, scores, extracurriculars, and essays, their legacy status is going to help them against similar candidates that aren’t legacies. And that is valuable.
Being a legacy could help your student, but it doesn’t do everything for them at Harvard. There are simply too many alumni and too many highly qualified students. You need to ensure that your student isn’t relying on their alumni status. Starting early and pushing your legacy student to be a great candidate is what will make the difference. Getting into Harvard is hard, but we do it multiple times a year.
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