<p>Let me rephrase myself: 100k donation with average stats and legacy wouldn’t even guarantee a seat in my high school.
The unspoken rule of thumb is about 300k donation paid over the course of enrollment. Absolutely no way Michigan would take any less than a freaking high school.</p>
<p>I know of several people who live near me (GR) who have been accepted under assumption that their families will donate 300-500k. That’s a no brainer for Michigan. They make easy money. Also, knowing people on admission boards is another way to get around admissions</p>
<p>hopeful7, knowing people on the admissions board, or the promise of receiving chump change (anything less than $5 million is chump change for a university with an endowment of $8.5 billion) does not help whatsoever. I know this for a fact. Just because one “makes a call” or has the means to donate a few hundred thousands does not mean that it was one of those factors that made the difference. That student was going to be admitted anyway.</p>
<p>You guys are assuming too much. Just because the kids of wealthy alums are getting in does not mean their parents bribed the University. With an endowment now at $8.5 billion, the University is the 6th wealthiest in the nation. It receives over $200 million annually from alums. This year, the University actually received over $400 million from alums. It does not need to accept bribes from parents of under-qualified kids to make ends meet. Of course, if you have real evidence (not just neighborhood gossip), feel free to share.</p>
<p>I was responding to the claim that admissions team “takes calls” and admits students from families that pledge $300-$500k to the University. That is unsubstantiated and would indeed constitute taking a bribe. </p>
<p>By the way, giving preference to applicants with legacy status is pretty standard across all universities. Nobody denies that. There is nothing unusual (or wrong) about a university giving preference to legacies. Alums are usually loyal to their university, and that means their children are likely to seriously consider an acceptance for that institution. But that does not mean that the University takes calls from wealthy alums, or that they are likely to be swayed by bribe money.</p>