Eight universities embroiled in a massive college-admissions cheating scheme are now being investigated by the U.S. Department of Education.
Letters sent to the schools and obtained by the Associated Press say the department is conducting a “preliminary investigation” to determine whether they violated federal laws or rules surrounding the management of federal student aid.
The inquiry stems from a sweeping scheme uncovered by the Department of Justice in which wealthy parents allegedly paid bribes to get their children admitted to elite U.S. schools. Although others have been charged, the schools themselves have not been targeted.
Still, the Education Department’s letter told colleges that the allegations “raise questions about whether your institution is fully meeting its obligations” under federal education laws.
The letter was sent to the presidents of Yale, Wake Forest, Stanford and Georgetown universities, along with the University of Southern California, the University of San Diego, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of California, Los Angeles.
