so it's ok as long as you donate a building? I'm not necessarily against that if donations lead to better facilities that lets a university to take in more students but if you get something in return it isn't a donation anymore(and donations are tax-deductible right?) is it?
For one, donations aren't a straight up garuantee of admission. They usually result in admission but if you donated to a school and they still denied your kid admission, you wouldnt have any recourse to sue the school.
Second, donations go to the entire university organization and the organization gets to decide what to do with the money. Most donations end up benefitting the student body as a whole, whether that's through more money for scholarships, new facilities, new or better programs, more staff, etc. Donating to get your kid admittance is kind of slimy, but it does a lot of good for the university so it's understandable why they do it.
This case involves rich people bribing individuals or cheating on admission forms to trick universities into granting admission, which does not benefit the university. That's why it's illegal and also why it's more of a problem.
