Operation Varsity Blues college-admissions scheme

At some point, the college admissions process starts looking very different when millions of dollars are allegedly being used to get around it. The Varsity Blues investigation exposed a nationwide admissions cheating scheme in which federal prosecutors alleged that wealthy families paid intermediaries to secure advantages for their children at elite universities.

The alleged payments reached as high as $6 million, with schools including Yale, Stanford, Georgetown and the University of Southern California appearing in the investigation. Money was reportedly used alongside other methods to get applicants through doors that would normally depend on academic records and standard admissions procedures.

What made the case so striking wasn't just the amount of money involved, but the institutions at the center of it. Universities that represent some of the most competitive admissions in the country became part of a federal investigation into whether wealth and connections could be used to bypass the ordinary process.