Applications to Michigan State Drop After Nassar Scandal
FALLOUT
They fell by 8.3 percent over the past year.
Rebecca Cook/Reuters
Undergraduate applications to Michigan State University fell drastically over the past year following the highly publicized scandal and trial for Larry Nassar, the former sports physician who was accused by 156 women of sexual assault. Nassar’s trial—which took place during the 2017-18 academic year—brought attention to university officials’ repeated failings in handling allegations against the school doctor. Many of the victims who read statements at Nassar’s sentencing called out MSU officials for not taking more action to stop him. The scandal led to the forced resignation of former university president Lou Anna Simon, who now faces criminal charges of lying to investigators. MSU’s applications for the fall of 2018 dropped by 8.3 percent, in contrast to rising rates of college applications nationwide.
