The ‘Varsity Blues’ Scandal: Why Elite Colleges Have Always Been ‘Pay to Play’

By Emily Richmond of the Education Writer's Association

A gate at Yale University, where the soccer coach is one of 50 people indicted as part of a federal investigation of college admissions fraud. (Flickr/Danny Navarro)

The details of bribery and corruption involving some of the nation’s most elite colleges unveiled in the “Operation Varsity Blues” admissions scandal are jaw-dropping. But the underlying premise — that wealth can buy entry to prestigious  universities – has been a subject of many journalistic investigations over recent decades.
Journalists throughout the U.S. quickly investigated the latest scandal while also weaving into their coverage the long history and troubling socioeconomic implications.
They noted that the U.S. Department of Justice’s largest-ever college admissions prosecution pulls back the curtain on a process that calls into question the idea that America is a meritocracy. (For more, take a look at The Hechinger Report’s Divided We Learn project.)
The indictments allege that rich and famous parents paid college admissions consultant William “Rick” Singer at least $25 million to ensure their children landed coveted seats at Stanford, Yale, the University of Southern California, the University of Texas and other selective colleges. ​Singer has already pleaded guilty, according to federal authorities.

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