Do they? Or is that just the general urban legend that’s been promulgated over the decades? I’d say they’re pretty upfront about how admissions works in that every year they give admit preference to donor kids, athletes, politically connected/heads of state kids, celebrities, and then accept a certain number of people who can pay full tuition without needing FA, and more recently kids who check certain boxes. Who defines what is meritorious and deserving of admission? If our kids are accepted we are happy with the system, when they aren’t then we’re critical. Wealth and influence have been around since ancient times and people have been complaining about it for just as long.
I think all the people who were a part of varsity blues should be held to account through jail time and fines.
However, money, connections and influence will continue to play some role in admissions because colleges are businesses. Colleges are not altruistic. They need a certain amount of money to operate and endowments aren’t a slush fund. There are many restrictions on how, where and when the funds may be spent. And all those donors and full pay students enable those who need FA to attend those schools. And ultimately the number of students that “cut the line” through scams like varsity blues to attend elite schools is incredibly small and isn’t moving the needle. If you want to complain about spaces taken I’d say athletes are a much bigger problem over a wider swath of the higher education system.