Harvard Faces New Civil Rights Complaint Challenging Legacy Admissions

An advocacy group filed a civil rights complaint Monday against Harvard University alleging that the institution’s use of legacy admissions, a mechanism by which children of alumni get preferential treatment within the admissions process, discriminates against applicants of color.

Lawyers for Civil Rights, a nonprofit organization based in Boston, filed its civil rights complaint to the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights (OCR) alleging that the university’s legacy admissions system does not weigh merit and takes acceptance spots away from students of color. 

The civil rights complaint comes after the Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Harvard University’s affirmative action admissions policies are unconstitutional.