Elite universities, including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Georgetown, and University of Pennsylvania, face fresh allegations of favoring wealthy students in admissions, with a new court motion demanding $685 million in damages, The Hill reported.
A motion filed Monday claims the institutions secretly prioritized students tied to family wealth or large donations, violating their commitment to "need-blind" admissions policies.
The latest motion, part of a lawsuit that began in 2022, accuses these schools of participating in a "price-fixing cartel." While many universities named in the original complaint have reached settlements, five schools — including MIT, Penn, and Georgetown — remain under scrutiny.
The plaintiffs argue these institutions unfairly admitted certain applicants based on financial connections rather than merit, undermining federal guidelines and disadvantaging less affluent students.
One specific accusation in the filing cites a former president of Georgetown, who allegedly placed 80 students on a special admissions list due to their families' wealth or donation history. The motion claims that most of these students gained admission through this process.
Penn is similarly accused of labeling certain applicants as "people of interest," significantly boosting their chances of admission compared to standard applicants.
Despite the claims, the universities have consistently denied wrongdoing.
In a statement, MIT pushed back against the allegations, describing the lawsuit as misrepresentative. "In short, MIT has no history of wealth favoritism in its admissions; quite the opposite," the statement read. "After years of discovery in which millions of documents were produced that provide an overwhelming record of independence in our admissions process, plaintiffs could cite just a single instance in which the recommendation of a board member helped sway the decisions for two undergraduate applicants."
The schools also pointed to their financial aid programs as evidence of their commitment to equitable access. According to the universities, hundreds of millions of dollars have been allocated to scholarships supporting low-income families.
Lawyers for the defense further argued that the plaintiffs' demand for $685 million in damages is unjustified, labeling the calculations as "junk science."