At Harvard, there are two styles of pseudo-'legacy' admissions: standard legacy and z-list.
The z-list is very small (on the order of tens of students per year) but matches the stereotype.
The typical non-zlist legacy student is qualified to attend and has test scores well above the admission median. I am not sure they even consider past donation history for these admissions. A more important factor is that they feel that legacies are more likely to attend vs go elsewhere (the 'yield rate'), which lets them lower their admission percentages further.
The z-list is very small (on the order of tens of students per year) but matches the stereotype.
The typical non-zlist legacy student is qualified to attend and has test scores well above the admission median. I am not sure they even consider past donation history for these admissions. A more important factor is that they feel that legacies are more likely to attend vs go elsewhere (the 'yield rate'), which lets them lower their admission percentages further.