Stanford Sticks With Legacy Admissions

Stanford University has confirmed its admissions policies for autumn 2026 will proceed considering bequest status, a determination that could power entree to 1 of Silicon Valley’s astir important talent pipelines. Stanford is besides ending its test-optional policy, requiring SAT aliases ACT scores for nan first clip since 2021.

According to nan Stanford Daily, nan assemblage is truthful committed to keeping bequest preferences that it’s withdrawing from California’s Cal Grant program, forgoing authorities financial assistance alternatively than comply pinch authorities signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom past autumn — Assembly Bill 1780 — which bans bequest admissions. The assemblage promises to switch that backing pinch its ain money.

This matters acold beyond Palo Alto. Stanford has been nan launching pad for countless tech leaders, from nan founders of Google, Nvidia, Snap, and Netflix to different renowned CEOs and VCs. With bequest admissions intact, children of Silicon Valley’s elite arguably support an advantage successful accessing nan web that has powered galore tech booms.

The return of trial requirements adds different wrinkle, perchance favoring students pinch resources for trial prep. While supporters judge it maintains world standards, critics reason that for an manufacture built connected meritocracy rhetoric, Stanford’s decisions correspond a measurement successful nan incorrect guidance — reinstating standardized barriers and perpetuating inequality.

Stanford past twelvemonth announced its determination to reverse its 2021 determination to region standardized testing arsenic an exertion requirement. That nan assemblage will proceed to see bequest position was revealed this past week successful recently released admissions criteria.

The policies return connected added value fixed universities’ financial dependence connected alumni support. Alumni donations are awesome financial contributors to acquisition institutions, peculiarly Ivy League schools. Princeton University, for example, received astir half its donations — 46.6% — from alums successful nan 2022-2023 world year.

At Stanford specifically, astir donations are either directed toward yearly giving via The Stanford Fund, which spends nan money instantly connected existent operations, financial aid, and different programs; aliases they are provided — much often — arsenic gifts to Stanford’s monolithic endowment (managed by Stanford Management Company), which spends astir 5% annually connected assemblage operations, accounting for astir 22% of its operating budget.

Universities dangle moreover much heavy connected alumni donations erstwhile facing outer financial pressures, and caller national policies targeting higher acquisition person created unforeseen and unprecedented fund issues for institutions for illustration Stanford.

Stanford confirmed to nan San Francisco Chronicle conscionable past week that it will permanently laic disconnected 363 employees, which is astir 2% of its administrative and method workforce, owing to what officials described arsenic “ongoing economical uncertainty” and “anticipated changes successful national policy.” These include, astir notably, a whopping summation successful endowment taxes from 1.4% to 8% included successful nan Trump administration’s “Big Beautiful Bill” that was signed into rule past month.

That taxation summation unsocial will costs Stanford an estimated $750 cardinal annually.