Something seems off about those numbers, not the least of which is the 14.6% admissions rate. Here is what Google AI says when I asked about legacy admissions:
At Harvard, legacy status significantly increases the odds of admission. While Harvard's overall acceptance rate is around 3.2%, legacy applicants have a much higher acceptance rate. Studies have shown that nearly 70% of Harvard's legacy applicants are white. In the Class of 2027, approximately 30% of students were legacies.
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
- Overall Harvard Acceptance Rate: Around 3.2%.
- Legacy Acceptance Rate: Significantly higher than the overall rate, potentially 2-5 times higher in some years. Some sources indicate a legacy acceptance rate as high as 33%.
- Legacy Student Percentage in Class of 2027: Approximately 30%.
- Legacy Applicant Demographics: A significant portion of legacy applicants are white.
- Legacy Admissions Advantage: Even without considering legacy status, Harvard students with legacy connections are estimated to be 33% more likely to be admitted than other applicants with similar qualifications, according to Opportunity Insights.
What we don't know is the denominator. If Blacks are self-selecting in not applying to Harvard, their high rate makes a lot of sense. Worded differently, if Blacks do not think they can get into Harvard or do not want to attend Harvard so only the most qualified apply, they will have a higher acceptance rate.
The other missing variable right off hand, does that number nclude athletes? Athletes get priority admission, so yes, if it includes athletes it might skew any set of numbers. 20% of Harvard's student body compete in D1 sports. From AI:
Recruited athletes at Harvard have a significantly higher acceptance rate than the overall Harvard acceptance rate. Specifically, they have an 86% acceptance rate, while the school's overall acceptance rate is 3.6%. This means that being a recruited athlete greatly increases an applicant's chances of getting into Harvard.
I am sure not nearly all 20% are "recruited" athletes, but still, dealing with 2000 total admission per year it doesn't take too many to make a statistical difference. So we would have to know if the numbers you have include athletes and what the racial breakdown is for "recruited" athletes.
All this is to say the disparity may not be as much as the Twitter feed suggests. It may be, but the Tweet doesn't present nearly enough information.