Photo illustration by Ron Coddington/Photo by Jessica Rinaldi, The Boston Globe, Getty Images
Dozens of people, including famous actors, college coaches, and a university administrator, have been charged by federal prosecutors for their alleged roles in an admissions-bribery scheme involving Yale, Stanford, and several other elite institutions.
The alleged scheme had several facets, including bribery of college-entrance exam proctors, substitute test-takers, and designation of applicants as recruited athletes even if their athletic ability was spurious.
A cooperating witness described the scheme as a “side door” to guarantee admission to the children of wealthy families in California, according to a Justice Department affidavit.
Here’s more of The Chronicle’s coverage.
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Operation Varsity BluesOne Year After College-Admissions Scandal, 3 Questions About What (if Anything) Has Changed
Operation Varsity Blues felt like an earthquake when it struck higher education one year ago. But did anything change? -
Admissions
5 Questions to Consider in the Wake of the Admissions Scandal
Operation Varsity Blues shook an entire profession. At the National Association for College Admission Counseling’s annual conference, experts discussed how institutions can respond constructively to questions raised by the bribery scheme. -
Admissions
The Bribery Scandal Revealed Holes in Admissions Oversight. Now Some Professors Want to Take Back That Role.
Faculty members at Yale and the University of Southern California are looking to expand their involvement in admissions following this year’s Varsity Blues scandal. -
News
How the Wealthy and Well Connected Have Learned to Game the Admissions Process
A spate of scandals has drawn attention to how the process of applying to college benefits the elite. College counselors say that’s only the tip of the iceberg. -
Genesis of a Scandal
The Origins of an Admissions-Bribery Mastermind Are Buried in a Confidential Report
The University of California at Los Angeles questioned Rick Singer, who orchestrated a vast criminal admissions scheme, in 2014. The report, published here for the first time, presages the pay-for-play mentality that federal prosecutors say inspired widespread corruption in college admissions. -
News
‘It’s an Aristocracy’: What the Admissions-Bribery Scandal Has Exposed About Class on Campus
The criminal actions of a few rogue coaches and parents have shined a spotlight on the role that elite colleges play in perpetuating wealth and privilege. -
Admissions Scandal
We Asked 20 Elite-College Admissions Deans About the Bribery Scandal. Here’s What They Said.
Outrage swirled after “Operation Varsity Blues” went public last week. So we asked the admissions gatekeepers if reform was necessary. -
News
The U. of Southern California Is on the Rise. Why Is It a Hotbed of Scandal?
The admissions-bribery scandal has poured gas on the fire of a university already smarting from corruption in the athletics department and in the upper administration. -
News
What the Admissions Scandal Reveals About Secrecy, Privilege, and the Nature of Merit
Jerome Karabel, author of a lengthy history of Ivy League admissions, thinks the recent headlines can shed light on more deep-seated problems. -
News
The Foundation at the Center of the Admissions-Bribery Scandal Has a Surprising Item in Its Portfolio: The Versatile Ph.D.
Harvard, Michigan, Rice, and other universities subscribe to the popular career resource for graduate students. Now, with the foundation’s leader indicted, the service’s future is uncertain. -
Admissions
Stanford Students Sue Elite Universities After Admissions Scandal
They say their applications to universities named in the unfolding scandal weren’t fairly evaluated in a system “warped and rigged by fraud.” -
News
In Bribery Scheme, Coaches Sold Their ‘Admissions Slots’ to Nonathletes. Wait, Coaches Influence Admissions?
Some made millions in bribes by using such slots as a commodity in an arbitrage scheme. -
News
They’re Already Rich. Why Were These Parents So Fixated on Elite Colleges?
What the admissions-bribery scandal reveals about parenting toward a narrow definition of success in an anxious age. -
News
Admissions Officers Didn’t Cause the Scandal. But They Helped Shape the Culture That Spawned It.
Those who decide who gets in are powerful, even if they are not to blame. -
'Invisible Disabilities'
‘Like a Slap in the Face’: Advocates Say Bribery Scheme Will Harm Students With Learning Disabilities
In the scandal over admissions fraud, some of angriest voices are those of advocates for people with learning disabilities. -
Admissions
Caught in the Middle of Their Parents’ Bribery Schemes, Students Stay Silent
The children — many of whom were admitted thanks to their parents’ alleged involvement in admissions-bribery schemes — have not spoken publicly. Those with high-profile families have tuned out of social media. -
Admissions
Higher Ed’s Bribery Scandal Is Decadent and Depraved. Here Are 8 Truly Tasteless Allegations.
The U.S. Justice Department’s 204-page affidavit, outlining a scheme that allowed the rich and famous to secure admission for their children at elite colleges, reads like a Hollywood script. -
Admissions
Bribery Scandal Reveals ‘Weak Spots’ in the Admissions System. Don’t Look So Shocked.
The details of an elaborate scam for buying seats at elite colleges are striking. But the themes at the heart of the saga are all too familiar. -
News
8 Universities. Millions in Bribes. 10 Corrupt Coaches. What You Need to Know About the Admissions-Bribery Scandal.
A primer on the wide-ranging scheme. -
Admissions
Photoshopped Scenes and Fake Athletic Profiles: How the Internet Is Picking Apart the College-Admission Scandal
Here’s a peek at online reactions to the bribery scheme that’s rocking elite colleges. -
Admissions
An Alleged Admissions-Bribery Scheme Is Roiling Higher Ed. Here’s How It Worked.
A company used “side doors” to gain admission for its clients’ children to elite colleges, according to federal prosecutors. -
Admissions
College Officials Were Charged in the Admissions-Bribery Scheme. Now Their Campuses Are Cutting Ties.
Eleven people at Stanford, Yale, and other universities were among the dozens indicted for their alleged roles. -
The Review
Admissions Policies Lack Credibility. The Cure: Radical Transparency.
Colleges should be forced to defend their decisions in public. -
The Review
The Only Surprise in the Admissions Scandal Is That Anyone Is Surprised
The rich and powerful have been buying spots at elite institutions for years. -
The Review
Higher Education and the Illusion of Meritocracy
The admissions-bribery scandal offers a convenient and cartoonish scapegoat for a complex system of affirmative action for wealthy people.
