Admissions scandal won’t impact rankings by U.S. News & World Report
An admissions scandal that rocked the higher education sector and ensnared Hollywood actresses, business leaders and athletes will not impact how those institutions are critiqued for one of the most widely revered annual ranking lists.
Since 1983, U.S. News & World Report has published a list each year of the best U.S. universities. Often the top spots are monopolized by Ivy League colleges like Stanford University and Yale.
Those institutions and others, however, were at the center of a massive admissions scheme unveiled by the Trump administration earlier this week. Despite the scandal, those universities won’t be viewed any differently by the outlet.
“The college admissions scandal goes against everything U.S. News has championed for the last 35 years. Higher education should be about finding the right school for you – not about cheating the system,” a spokeswoman said. “The college admissions scandal deals with a small group of individuals rather than institutions. This would not have impacted schools’ rankings in our Best Colleges rankings.”
At the heart of the controversy is William Rick Singer, a college consultant who took millions from individuals like actress Felicity Huffman and former Pimco CEO Douglas Hodge to allegedly help scam their children into Stanford and other colleges. Singer pleaded guilty earlier this week.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX BUSINESS APP
Lawsuits have already been filed against Singer and the institutions from parents and students, some seeking damages as high as $500 billion.
Executives involved in the scandal stepped down or took a leave of absence, while companies with ties to those named in the suit were quick to distance themselves.
