A bipartisan group of senators reintroduced legislation aimed at banning legacy admissions, tying accreditation requirements to admissions policies that do not award preferential treatment based on alumni or donor relationships. The bill—called the Merit-Based Educational Reforms and Institutional Transparency Act—would define “preferential treatment” as legacy ties being a “determinative factor” in admissions decisions or the awarding of educational benefits. Sponsors said the measure is designed to increase fairness after the Supreme Court’s 2023 ban on race-conscious admissions and ongoing scrutiny of admissions-related conduct. The proposal also includes guardrails intended to avoid disrupting admissions practices around “demonstrated interest,” requiring that criteria for gauging interest be clearly defined and publicly accessible. The legislation further includes language allowing religious colleges to align admissions decisions with faith-based values. If enacted, the effort would add federal enforcement leverage through accreditation standards—potentially increasing compliance pressure on colleges and universities whose admissions policies rely on legacy considerations.