Nepotism works - and it's legal: 67% of Americans believe college admissions boards give unfair advantages to the rich and children of alumni, survey finds
- A majority (83%) of Americans say it's unacceptable for college applicants to get special treatment after a parent or relative contributes money to a university
- The problem isn't just the recent allegations that rich and famous parents spent big money to cheat their children's way into America's most elite schools
- Most Americans object to legal advantages given to wealthy and well-connected
- Just 19% of Americans believe the college entrance process is 'generally fair'
Roughly two-thirds of Americans believe that college admissions boards give unfair – if legal – advantages to teens who are rich or related to alumni, according to a new survey.
The problem isn't just the recent allegations that wealthy and famous parents – including actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman – spent big money to cheat their children's way into elite schools.
Some 67 percent of Americans believe there is a fundamental unfairness to the system overall, according to the USA Today/Suffolk University Poll of 1,000 registered voters.
'If you're a millionaire, you can get your kids to the front of the class,' Robert Lynch, 62, of Selden, New York, told USA Today.
This chart illustrates the proportion of Americans who believe that college admissions unfairly favor the rich and well-connected. Source: USA Today/Suffolk University Poll
The father of 12 said that five of his children have attended college thanks to scholarships and student loans.
Less than 20 percent of Americans believe the college entrance process is 'generally fair.'
Democrats are slightly more likely to feel strongly about the issue, with about 75 percent calling the system unfair, compared to about 60 percent of Republicans.
Share this article
'Respondents in the poll are saying money talks and they don't like it,' said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk Political Research Center.
'Across all demographics, Americans find college admissions unfairly favor the wealthy and well-connected,' he told USA Today.
It's a problem because entrance into top universities can open doors to innumerable opportunities and powerful connections.
This chart illustrates what proportion of Americans think it's fair vs. unfair for different groups to receive favorable treatment when applying to college. Source: USA Today/Suffolk University Poll
Americans are particularly offended by the idea of rich people getting their children into college through large charitable donations: 83 percent say it's unacceptable for college applicants to get special treatment after a parent or relative contributes money to a university or pays for a new campus building.
Just 13 percent said it was acceptable.
Other preferential treatment also rubbed Americans the wrong way: 64 percent oppose advantages given to student athletes; 63 percent are against preferences given to children of alumni and 61 percent opposed affirmative action for minorities.
'Just because your parents went there and were smart enough to get into the school doesn't mean that you're smart enough to get into the school,' 18-year-old Annastacia Lester told USA Today.
The poll comes as Loughin, Huffman and many others face charges that they bribed and cheated their children's way into college.
Lori Loughlin and her daughter, Olivia Jade Giannulli, at a charity gala in February 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. Loughlin is one of 50 people charged for roles in a scheme in which phony test-takers secured clients' children spots at elite universities including Yale, Georgetown and USC
Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy with daughters Sophia Grace and Georgia Grace Macy in Los Angeles in 2014. Huffman is also charged in the college cheating and bribery scheme
Some 50 people, including prominent executives, Hollywood actors and college coaches have been charged for roles in the scheme which saw phony test-takers secure clients' children spots at elite universities including Yale, Georgetown and Stanford.
Rick Singer, 58, pleaded guilty on March 12 in Boston federal court to running the largest college admissions fraud scam in U.S. history through his small college preparation company in Newport Beach.
Over the course of seven years, Singer is estimated to have taken $25million from wealthy parents to get their kids into elite schools through cheating and bribery.
In the fallout, Loughlin was dropped by the company that owns the Hallmark cable channel and LVMH's Sephora beauty chain ended a sponsorship deal with her daughter, Olivia. The former Full House actress' husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, has also been charged.
Huffman, of Desperate Housewives fame, was also charged in the scheme. The 56-year-old actress deleted her social media accounts on Friday, and pulled down her parenting website, What The Flicka.
