California governor signs law banning college legacy and donor admissions

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Private, nonprofit colleges in California will be banned from giving preference in the admissions process to applicants related to alumni or donors of the school under a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The goal of the measure passed earlier this year by legislators is to give students a fair opportunity to access higher education, regardless of their socioeconomic status. The law signed Monday and taking effect in Sept. 2025 affects private institutions that consider family connections in admissions, including the University of Southern California, Stanford University, Claremont McKenna College and Santa Clara University. The public University of California system eliminated legacy preferences in 1998.