People forget that this is HOW all elite institutions keep their numbers up. People don’t fully understand the rouge of elite institutions. I’m not sure what the official version for legacy admissions is but I can tell you what the unofficial reason is. If you admit enough students with access to wealth and privilege through their family line you are more likely to get higher outcomes with your alumni. If you admit enough students who go into college with previous connections as many elitist colleges do they are more likely to not only be successful but give larger endowments. The universities know this.

While inequality is clearly baked into this unofficial reason. They will NEVER fully get rid of it. They know who is funding their endowments.