Yale University has canceled a student's admission after learning that she was part of the infamous college cheating scam, the school announced on Tuesday. According to the indictment, her family allegedly paid $1.2 million to William "Rick" Singer, the ringleader of the operation, to get her in.
This is the first known instance of a school rescinding a student's acceptance after news of the scam involving several celebrities including Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman broke. At least 50 people, including parents, coaches, and administrators, have been indicted in the scheme.
Yale women's soccer coach Rudy Meredith has been charged with accepting bribes in exchange for "recruiting" two applicants, including the young woman whose acceptance was rescinded, for his team. The other applicant was rejected from the school. Singer allegedly paid Meredith $400,000.
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"Yale investigated the allegations, and the admission of the student who received a fraudulent endorsement has been rescinded," the school said in a statement on its website. The school has not disclosed the student's identity.
Meredith allegedly helped make the student appear as a competitive soccer player, lying that she was the co-captain of a well-known soccer club. The school confirmed that "all enrolled Yale students who were admitted with an athletic endorsement played at least one season on their varsity sports team," except the student involved in the scam, according to a letter from Yale President Peter Salovey on Tuesday.
The U.S. Department of Education has opened a "preliminary investigation" into Yale, along with the other schools involved in the scandal.