Amherst College drops legacy admissions

Amherst College will no longer give admissions preference to the children of alumni, the school announced, ending a practice that has been criticized for giving an additional advantage to students from wealthier families.

The liberal arts college said it’s dropping legacy admissions to create a fairer admissions system and to promote diversity on campus. In the past, children of alumni have made up 11% of incoming students at the college of 1,700 students.