Among Harvard students in the classes of 2014 to 2019, about 50 to 60 students each year were admitted off the "Z-list," according to the New York Times, meaning they had to defer their enrollment for one year. But plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Harvard say many of these students are legacies, meaning their parents attended Harvard, and might not otherwise make the cut.
A 2010 article published in the Harvard Crimson said that 18 of 28 Z-listers interviewed had parents who attended Harvard, and that 24 received no financial aid from the college. (The Crimson reported that about 70% of Harvard's student body received financial aid.)
Harvard's admissions staff has said the Z-list is not a way to admit legacy students.