LOS ANGELES (CNS) — UCLA, USC and the University of San Diego were among eight universities notified they were under investigation by the Department of Education in connection with the college admissions scandal.
Investigators would be looking into whether the schools violated laws “governing the Federal student financial aid programs” or other laws,according to a document reviewed by the political news website, Politico.
If violations are found, the schools could be penalized up to having access to Pell Grants and federal student loans cut off.
The schools were each notified Monday, March 25, that they faced an investigation connected to the criminal charges federal prosecutors announced earlier this month.
The document stated the allegations made against the schools by the Justice Department “raise questions about whether your institution is fully meeting its obligations,” Politico reported.
In addition to UCLA and USC, presidents of Yale University, Wake Forest University, Stanford University, Georgetown University and the University of Texas at Austin received similar letters.
The letters cite a wide range of federal education regulations and laws that investigators are exploring, including that universities receiving federal student aid must have proper procedures and policies to administer federal money, Politico said.
As part of the investigation, the universities were ordered to provide a list of the names of all students whose admission was brought up in the Justice Department’s investigation.
Education Department investigators also ordered the universities to turn over documents they used in marketing and promoting their schools, including any statement made to organizations that rank schools, such as U.S. News and World Report and internal control policies and procedures related to admissions for recruited athletes, the website said.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has called the scandal “disgraceful” and urged her department to determine if any of the agency’s regulations had been violated.
Thirteen people, including Hollywood actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, were arrested March 13 in connection with an alleged multimillion-dollar nationwide bribery scheme to get students into elite colleges, including USC, UCLA and Stanford.
The alleged conspiracy focused on getting students admitted to prestigious universities as recruited athletes, regardless of their athletic abilities, and helping potential students cheat on their college exams, according to a 50-defendant indictment unsealed in federal court in Boston.
There’s no indication that the schools were involved in any of the wrongdoing.
Loughlin, best known for her role in the sitcom “Full House,” and Huffman, who starred in the ABC show “Desperate Housewives,” are charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services fraud, according to the indictment.
Huffman is accused of paying $15,000 disguised as a charitable donation to the Key Worldwide Foundation to aid her oldest daughter’s university prospects. A confidential informant told investigators that he told Huffman he could arrange for a third party to correct her daughter’s answers on the SAT after she took it, The Washington Post reported. She ended up scoring a 1420 — 400 points higher than she had gotten on a PSAT taken a year earlier.
Huffman also contemplated running a similar scam to help her younger daughter, but ultimately did not pursue it, the complaint alleges.
Both Huffman and Loughlin were released from custody after posting bail and were ordered to appear in federal court in Boston on March 29.
UCLA men’s soccer coach Jorge Salcedo, who is charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering for his alleged participation in the scheme, has resigned. Salcedo, who had been UCLA’s coach since 2004, had been on leave since March 12 when federal authorities announced indictments in the case.
USC last week fired senior associate athletic director Donna Heinel and USC water polo coach Jovan Vavic, who were among those indicted in the case.