Indy Standard

U.S. Senators Todd Young and Tim Kaine have expressed their approval following the enactment of legislation in Virginia that ends legacy admissions. This new law reflects the goals of the senators' bipartisan Merit-Based Educational Reforms and Institutional Transparency Act (MERIT Act). The act aims to eliminate preferential treatment in college admissions based on an applicant's connection to alumni or donors.

In a joint statement, the senators stated, "When we introduced the MERIT Act, we hoped the legislation would encourage states and higher education institutions to take the initiative to ban legacy and donor admissions too. We’re happy to see Virginia make this move. Now let’s build off this success and get our bill passed to end legacy and donor admissions preferences nationwide. This will promote upward mobility and fairness in the admissions process."

The full text of the MERIT Act is available for public review.