Colleges may soon have to start reporting how many students they accept as legacy admits – children of alumni – if Congress passes legislation Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) plans to bring up in the Senate this month.

Kennedy’s bill would force universities to submit admissions records for federal government review in hopes of determining whether certain groups of students, such as legacy students, have unfair advantages, Kennedy spokesman Jim Manley said.

“The bill is designed to ensure increased access to college for working families in this country,” he said.

Legacies mostly help affluent white students, according to Associated Press reports. Manley said they also limit opportunities for minority and underprivileged students that want to go to top colleges.

“Change in the economy has increased the demand for a college degree,” he said. “Access is limited for qualified students.”

Kennedy’s bill, which would be passed as part of the Senate’s effort to reauthorize the Higher Education Act of 1965, addresses economic and racial factors as well. The act must be reauthorized every six years.

According to a Stanford University study written by undergraduate Thomas Loverro, Harvard University’s legacy acceptance rate is 40 percent higher than that for the average applicant, a nearly 5 percent increase from a decade ago.

But Harvard Director of Admissions Marlyn McGrath Lewis said although the university’s admissions board does consider family history, the group looks at academic performance first.

“If one were a son or daughter of an alumnus, we would give it to them if they were equal in merit,” she said. “[We are] very scrupulous in not admitting weaker students who are legacies.”

Boston University does not accept students based specifically on whether people in their families are alumni of BU, BU spokesman Colin Riley said. Kennedy’s legislation would not affect the university, he said.

“We consider the whole student,” he said. “Our alumni are important to us but not the basis in which we select our students.”

But Lewis said the bill would create some issues at Harvard, and university officials will be following the legislation.

“We will be watching it very closely,” she said. “We’re always concerned when there are restrictions on admissions policies.”

Manley said Kennedy and his staff have discussed the bill with admissions officials at numerous universities.

“This is a controversial issue, but he will fight for it as hard as he can,” he said.