Stanford University has kicked out a student whose application allegedly contained false information as fallout continues from the sweeping college admissions cheating scandal that has ensnared top universities across the country.
In a short statement posted on its website last week, the university said the student's admission had been rescinded after officials confirmed that some of the material in the student's application was not true.
The student has not been publicly identified, but the university said the person "is no longer on Stanford's campus."
The university also revoked credits the student earned while enrolled, a move that experts say is not unusual.
The majority of college applications, including those for USC, include an affirmation statement that students sign declaring that all information is factually true and honestly presented. It never pays to lie on an admissions application because those misrepresentations, if not caught immediately, could catch up with a student in the future, said Mark Sklarow, CEO of the Independent Education Consultants Association.
If a university finds out at any point during someone's college career that the student lied on an application, the school can rescind admission. If the person has already earned a degree, it can be revoked, Sklarow said.
"What most people don't know is if a college finds out a year later or four years later that you lied on your application, they can withdraw the offer of admission," Sklarow said. "Nothing that happened while you're on campus will count. They'll never release a transcript. You're gone."
It is not clear what information was inaccurate on the Stanford student's application. The university previously said the student had not received a recommendation from disgraced sailing coach John Vandemoer _ who pleaded guilty to a charge of racketeering conspiracy in connection with the scheme and was fired from the college _ and has no affiliation with any Stanford athletic team.
The cheating scandal came to light last month when federal prosecutors alleged that dozens of families over several years paid huge sums of money to Newport Beach businessman William "Rick" Singer to help doctor college entrance exam scores and falsify athletic records of students to enable them to secure admission to at least eight exclusive schools, including Stanford.
Prosecutors allege that Singer instructed parents to donate funds to a fake charity he had established as part of the scheme. Most of the parents paid at least $200,000, but some spent up to $6.5 million to guarantee their children admission to top universities, authorities said. Parents were then able to deduct the donation from their income taxes, according to the Internal Revenue Service.
The Stanford discipline case comes on the heels of a similar decision made two weeks ago by Yale. In that instance, it was the first known case in which a student's involvement in the far-reaching scheme had resulted in a revoked admission.
