ADMISSIONS SCANDAL, CONT’D

University of California Unfairly Admitted 64 Connected Students Over Last Six Years, Audit Finds

UC Berkeley admitted 42 students because they were from high-donor families or relatives of staff. The other 22 were accepted as student-athletes across three other campuses.

The University of California school system has wrongly admitted at least 64 students over the last six years, per a California state auditor’s report. “We conclude that the university has allowed for improper influence in admissions decisions, and it has not treated applicants fairly or consistently,” the report states, having reviewed admissions activity from 2013 to 2019 for the UC’s Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Santa Barbara campuses. UC Berkeley admitted 42 unqualified students referred to the admissions office due to their families’ donor histories or staff connections. The remaining 22 were admitted through student-athlete admissions processes despite not having the athletic qualifications. The report says the majority of students were white and at least half reported their parents’ incomes as totaling over $150,000. The state conducted the audit in light of the 2019 college admissions scandal, which ensnared the UC system, finding that three students were improperly admitted. Former UCLA men’s soccer coach Jorge Salcedo and Canadian businessman David Sidoo, who paid the scam’s ringleader to fix entrance exams for his two sons, were indicted on related charges. Sidoo’s younger son attended Berkeley as a result.

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Patricia Kelly YeoBreaking News/Cheat Sheet Intern

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