College Admissions Fraud Crimes

By Samuel Strom, J.D. | Legally reviewed by Rhonda Earhart, Esq. | Last reviewed November 30, 2023

College admissions fraud can include a variety of criminal acts, such as the falsification of documents or bribery. The goal of this type of crime is to gain an unfair advantage for acceptance into a college.

When applying for college, many students feel pressure to "stretch the truth" to appear as impressive as possible. Favorable framing of the facts usually isn't a crime. Yet, the college itself is likely to penalize any clear deception. The institution may reject your application, expel you, or cancel your degree if it catches the lie.

But certain lies can be much more serious. Cheating to get into a college can be a criminal act. Faking test scores and school transcripts can rise to the level of fraud. Applying under someone else's name can be a type of identity theft. Even lying about participating in a school sport may be a substantial misrepresentation.

These admissions schemes can lead to criminal charges. If you face fraud charges, hire a criminal defense lawyer.

College Admissions and the Incentive to Commit Fraud

Consider how the admissions process works to understand how people might want to game the system. Generally, colleges and universities use objective measures to make admissions decisions, such as:

Standardized exams (primarily the SAT and ACT)
High school grades
Athletic achievement
Artistic accomplishments

Each school does things differently. For example, they may have a cutoff point for exam scores.

Parents want what is best for their children. There is nothing wrong with wanting your child to get into a good school. But you can't bribe colleges to get your child into a school and deny a child who earned their way into it.

Admissions scandals arose when families of means did just that. These families allegedly gave in to the temptation to buy their children's ways into school.

College Admissions Scandals

There have been several high-profile scandals involving college admissions. The breadth and brazen nature of these offenses rattled public trust in the admissions process.

The Key and Operation Varsity Blues

William Rick Singer, CEO of a college admissions preparatory company, The Key, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, money laundering, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and obstruction of justice in March 2019.

It was part of a wide-ranging scam to help wealthy families get their children into elite universities. His clients included actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, among others.

The U.S. Department of Justice placed Singer at the center of its investigation, named Operation Varsity Blues. But Singer was hardly alone. The government charged dozens of university coaches from Yale, Stanford, and other schools. It also charged exam administrators for their roles in college admissions fraud schemes.

The scandal involving Singer and his company consisted of allegations covering two main fraudulent activities:

Bribing university coaches to help falsify athletic credentials, often claiming achievement in sports in which the child never participated
Faking SAT or ACT scores — often bribing test administrators — and paying other students to take the test in the student's place.

According to prosecutors in the investigation, some parents paid as much as $75,000 per test in hopes of gaming the system.

The government charged actress Loughlin (Aunt Becky on "Full House") and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli. They allegedly paid as much as $500,000 in bribes to gain their kids' admission to the University of Southern California (USC).

In 2019, U.S. attorneys filed criminal complaints against over 50 people in the college admissions scandal. Federal prosecutors alleged many violations of federal laws. These charges included fraud charges and other white-collar crimes.

Other Examples of College Admissions Fraud

Other acts of college admissions fraud involved cheating, deception, and bribery. They include:

The Ivy League imposter: Adam Wheeler pleaded guilty to 20 charges in 2010 for lying his way into Harvard. His charges included identity fraud and larceny. The court ordered Wheeler to repay nearly $46,000 in financial aid.
New York SAT cheating ring: High school students paid four college students to take their entrance exams in 2011. The college students used fake identifications to take the test. Charges included scheming to defraud, criminal impersonation, and falsifying business records.
Courting politically connected applicants: The University of Illinois maintained a "Category I" list of politically connected college applicants. The purpose was to "encourage" their admission over equally or more qualified candidates. The 2009 testimony of former University of Illinois Associate Director of Admissions Abel Montoya revealed this before a state investigating commission.

For more information about fraud, see FindLaw's White Collar Crime article.