A DEI Kid Doesn’t Have Your College Spot — A Mediocre White Rich Kid Does

In the heated debates surrounding college admissions, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs are often blamed for taking spots away from “more deserving” students. But let’s be honest: if you didn’t get into your dream school, it probably wasn’t a DEI kid who took your spot — it was more likely a mediocre, well-connected, wealthy white student.

While the number or proportion of “rich mediocre students” admitted to colleges and universities — typically referring to students from wealthy backgrounds with average academic credentials — is not directly reported as an official statistic, a growing body of research shows it’s a very real and measurable phenomenon, especially at elite institutions in the United States.

1. Legacy and Donor Admissions

Legacy students, who are the children of alumni, are overwhelmingly from wealthy families. These students benefit from unearned advantages based solely on who their parents are.

A 2023 Harvard study revealed that 43% of white students admitted were either legacy, recruited athletes, children of faculty/staff, or had donor ties. These applicants were 2 to 7 times more likely to be admitted than others with comparable or better academic credentials.

Not surprisingly, these legacy and donor-linked students often had lower SAT scores and weaker academic profiles than their peers.

2. Income and Access to Elite Colleges

In a landmark 2017 study, economist Raj Chetty and his colleagues found that at 38 top colleges, more students came from the top 1% of income earners than from the entire bottom 60% combined.

Even more telling, these students were not more qualified. They were often on par — or worse — than middle-class applicants who were rejected. What they had, instead, were private tutors, college consultants, prep schools, and networks.

3. Athletic Recruitment and Privilege

Recruitment for collegiate sports at elite schools is another backdoor for affluent, often white, applicants.

Athletes in “country club” sports like fencing, rowing, sailing, and golf are disproportionately recruited. These are not the sports of public schools — they are sports with barriers to entry that make them accessible mainly to the rich.

Athletic recruits are significantly more likely to be admitted, regardless of academic merit.

4. Test-Optional Policies: A New Loophole

As standardized testing has become optional at many universities, admissions have become more opaque. While intended to level the playing field, test-optional policies have often amplified inequality, allowing wealthy students to shine through professionally crafted essays and portfolios funded by expensive consultants — all without the burden of having to show their average test scores.

Let’s Be Clear: It’s Not DEI

Despite loud voices blaming DEI for “unfairness,” admissions data tell a different story:

• Wealthy students are admitted at higher rates than equally or more qualified low-income peers.

• Many of these affluent applicants have average or below-average academic records.

• What gets them in? Legacy connections, donor influence, expensive prep, and recruited athlete status.

Meanwhile, DEI initiatives aim to correct historical imbalances and increase access for students who have been systemically excluded from higher education — not to hand out free passes.

Toward a Fairer System

Rather than scapegoating DEI programs, real reform should begin with eliminating legacy preferences, increasing transparency, and holding elite institutions accountable for privileging wealth over merit.

Until then, the uncomfortable truth remains: the biggest admissions boost in America doesn’t go to the poor, Black, or Latino kid trying to beat the odds — it goes to the mediocre white rich kid who already had them stacked in his favor.