Children of college faculty and staff have an edge in admissions at several prestigious universities across the country, according to a recent report by The Chronicle of Higher Education. And, to a lesser degree, applicants whose parents work for the University can exact the same advantages.

The report found that more than two-thirds of 50 selective colleges and universities surveyed admitted giving extra admissions consideration and tuition discounts to children of employees. In the study, many of these schools said they offer such benefits to attract high-quality staff and faculty in order to boost employee retention rates.

Colleges that acknowledge having such policies include top public and private institutions, such as George Washington University, Stanford University, Harvard University, the University of Massachusetts and Johns Hopkins University.

The University does not have a formal policy that gives extra consideration to applicants whose parents are employed by the school, but rather considers a parent’s employment as one of many factors affecting admissions favorably, University spokeswoman Julie Peterson said.

Peterson added that the University does not have a policy of preferential treatment for children of employees in the admissions process, nor does it offer tuition discounts.

Despite the absence of an official policy, a parent’s employment with the University is often considered as a factor in a student’s overall application that can help his or her chances of being admitted, Peterson said. Although there is no field on the undergraduate application to indicate a parent’s employment at the University, a student may choose to note such a connection in the sections asking for parents’ occupations or in an essay or letter of recommendation.

Peterson said faculty and staff, like alumni, often have high levels of engagement with the University.

“I think it is appropriate to recognize, when we can, that students come from that kind of tie to the University,” Peterson said.

Although the University informally gives extra consideration to children of employees, Peterson said it is a small factor that does not heavily weigh on the admissions process, unlike at other universities.

Sarah Zearfoss, assistant dean of the Law School, agreed that students with parents employed by the University are likely to have a strong connection to the school, which could help their applications. However, she added that this is only one aspect of the application, and it would not be a strong factor in choosing to admit a student.

In contrast, the application for George Washington University asks specifically if a student’s parents work for GWU, and this is taken into account when making admissions decisions. But GWU Director of Admissions Kathryn Napper said that, as at the University of Michigan, “it is not an overriding factor.”

“We are most interested in the academic preparedness of an applicant,” she added.

The Medical School’s application does ask for any “family relationship” an applicant might have with the University. But a relationship does not guarantee an admissions interview, said Assistant Director of Admissions Robert Ruiz, nor does the Medical School offer special scholarships to these students.

“It’s in the applicant’s best interest to give us as much information as he can,” Ruiz said. He added that it would be beneficial for a student to indicate any relationship with the University, but that it would weigh only as much as other types of links to the school, such as residence in the state of Michigan or a strong desire to be in the state.

Having parents employed by the University is “not a compelling or overwhelming consideration,” Ruiz said.

At many of the universities surveyed by the Chronicle, children of university employees also receive substantial tuition benefits. At GWU such students attend the college tuition-free, which saves them about $34,000 a year.

Lester Monts, senior vice provost for academic affairs, acknowledged that admissions and tuition benefits for children of employees are important incentives for many job applicants, and that the issue arises often in the hiring process. But Monts said he does not believe that the University’s decision to abstain from offering such benefits hurts faculty and staff recruitment.

“I think we have a world-class faculty, and there are many other reasons why faculty choose to come here,” he said.