Stanford University has expelled a student whose admission was followed by a large donation to the school's sailing program through an organization tied to the massive college admissions scandal in which 50 people were criminally charged by the U.S. Department of Justice, the university said on Tuesday.
The unnamed student was expelled as a part of Stanford's internal review after the school's former head sailing coach was charged for taking financial contributions in exchange for recommending students for admission, the university said on its website.
Stanford terminated the employment of the sailing coach John Vandemoer after the Justice Department alleged that he accepted multiple donations in exchange for pushing through applications of prospective students.
Vandemoer was among 50 people named in the college admissions scheme through an FBI investigation, dubbed Operation Varsity Blues. The probe exposed a network wealthy parents who allegedly paid admissions guru William Rick Singer millions of dollars to boost their children's chances of getting into selective colleges and universities
Vandemoer pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering last month. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 12.
The university said the sailing program received three donations totaling $770,000 from The Key Worldwide, a nonprofit organization created by Singer in 2012 and which was purported to be a charity.
Two of the donations were from families of two prospective Stanford students, who were never admitted to the school, and the third came from a Stanford student with no ties to the sailing program.
The third student, who was never identified, was expelled last week. The school's student-run newspaper, the Stanford Daily, reported that her admission followed a $500,000 donation through Singer's organization.
The student also allegedly fabricated sailing credentials in her application, the university newspaper reported.
"We determined that some of the material in the student’s application is false and, in accordance with our policies, have rescinded admission," Stanford said on its website. "Any credits earned have also been vacated."
Stanford is one of eight universities under investigation by the Department of Education for any violations to laws and regulations related to federal financial aid programs as part of the admissions scheme.
Other universities who received letters from the department include Wake Forest University, Georgetown University, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of San Diego, the University of Southern California, and the University of California Los Angeles.
Students who may have been admitted through the scheme at USC have had their acceptances placed on hold and will not be able to register for classes or get their transcripts.
At least one student involved in the scandal has had their acceptance rescinded at Yale as a result of the scandal, the Yale Daily News reported.
Yale has also launched its own internal review to discover "whether others have been involved in activities that have corrupted the athletic recruitment and admissions process."