Suit Accuses Georgetown, Penn and M.I.T. of Admissions Based on Wealth
For years, Georgetown University’s longtime president, John J. DeGioia, flagged 80 students to be added to a special admissions list — but not, apparently, for their academic or athletic prowess, documents in a lawsuit claim.
Those on Dr. DeGioia’s president’s list were virtually assured of admissions simply because of their family’s wealth and donation potential, according to a motion filed on Monday in a long-running lawsuit against a set of 17 selective universities, including the University of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Notre Dame, Cornell, Johns Hopkins and Caltech.
The new motion argues that the universities were supposed to be “need blind” and not take into account a family’s income when they decided who to admit and how much financial aid to offer. The plaintiffs argue that the schools gave preference to wealthy students in a way that violated provisions of a now-expired law permitting them to agree on financial aid formulas….
At M.I.T., two children recommended by a wealthy banker with ties to a university board member got special treatment, according to the documents. In a deposition, the school’s director of admissions said the two children, who appeared on a “cases of interest” list, were among those who “we would really have not otherwise admitted.”
At the University of Pennsylvania, some students designated “B.S.I.,” or bona fide special interest, had a dramatically higher rate of admission than other applicants, according to expert testimony filed in the lawsuit.
Penn’s former associate dean of admissions, Sara Harberson, testified last year in a deposition in the case that a B.S.I. tag meant the student’s family was a big donor or had connections to the board. Those students “were untouchable,” Ms. Harberson said, and “would get in almost 100 percent of the time.”
Ms. Harberson said the admissions office was powerless to deny the student “even if the student was incredibly weak, even if the student had a major issue in the application….”
The plaintiffs contend that the schools violated an antitrust exemption that allowed them to share financial aid formulas and methodology as long as they admitted students without factoring in their individual financial needs. The group of 17 schools formed a group to share formulas under this exemption.
The plaintiffs dubbed the schools a “cartel” and accused them of driving up students’ costs by banning universities in the group from reducing a family’s expected financial contribution below an agreed-to financial aid formula.
The universities have disputed the claims….
Ten of the original 17 universities have already settled and paid $284 million to the plaintiffs, a group of students who formerly attended the universities and received financial aid. Some 200,000 students are estimated to have been affected over a period of more than 20 years.
The plaintiffs dubbed the schools a “cartel” and accused them of driving up students’ costs by banning universities in the group from reducing a family’s expected financial contribution below an agreed-to financial aid formula.
The universities have disputed the claims.
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