University Of California Admitted 64 Under Qualified Students Based On Their Relationships With School Donors & Staff

An audit of The University of California has revealed that the school admitted at least 64 students over more qualified applicants solely due to the students’ relationships with university staff or donors.

The audit, which was released on Tuesday, investigated UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC San Diego, and UC Santa Barbara, beginning from academic years 2013-14 through 2018-19. They found that UC Berkeley admitted 42 applicants based on their connections to donors and university staff, including at least one example where a school official violated university policy by improperly advocating for a student.

“The pervasiveness of this problem at UC Berkeley demonstrates that campus leadership has failed to establish a campus culture that values commitment to an admissions process based on fairness and applicants’ merits and achievements,” auditors said in the document.

Of the 64 students improperly admitted, 22 applicants were deceitfully admitted as student-athletes “as favors to donors and friends,” despite not having played sports at all. In other instances, the university admitted applicants in exchange for promised donations to the athletic department. One applicant had babysat for a colleague of the former director of undergraduate admissions while another had a family member who was a friend of a regent. A different applicant was the child of a major donor, and one applicant’s family promised a large donation to the school. All of these applicants were admitted.

“The university undermined the fairness and integrity of its admissions process and deprived more qualified students of the opportunity for admission,” state auditor Elaine Howle wrote in a letter released with the audit to California Gov. Gavin Newsom and state legislative leaders.

The audit also discovered a lack of consistency in the application evaluation process across campuses, which also contributed to under-qualified students being admitted over qualified applicants.

UC President Michael Drake responded to the audit results in a statement, declaring that the university will begin rectifying the situation immediately.

“The University will swiftly address the concerns the State Auditor raised. Furthermore, individuals involved in improper activities will be disciplined appropriately. Our entire organization is committed to a level playing field for every applicant. Unethical means to gain admission, as rare as they may be, run contrary to our longstanding values of equity and fairness,” Drake said before adding that UC will “conduct a thorough review of the audit finding.”

These audit findings are just the latest instance of white privilege when it comes to prestigious college admissions. Most dishonestly admitted students were white, and at least half of their families had incomes of $150,000 or more. There are more than likely other under-qualified students who were admitted during the scheme. However, since the audit only examined a portion of the university’s athletic programs during a limited time frame, it’s hard to say exactly how many students were admitted in the scam.