The corruption behind the closed doors of leading educational institutions has finally come to light, and it is ugly.

With top schools like the University of Southern California and Yale College being exposed for taking bribes primarily through the athletic departments, lawsuits and outrage have ensued.

What’s more? Standardized test cheating scandals and false credentials have also been disclosed. A big shout out to the FBI for affirming the information regarding the scandals we’ve all known about for years.

It’s the $6.5 million question in the college admission scandal. Nearly two weeks after federal authorities first revealed Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman were among the celebrities and wealthy parents who allegedly paid bribes to help get their children into elite colleges, the identity of a parent who allegedly paid William Singer $6.5 million as part of the scheme remains a mystery.

First and foremost, it’s rather indisputable that cheating, bribery, and lying are not ideal. However, considering why these parents and students felt compelled to take such actions is important. Their crimes are a reflection of how competitive the admissions process has become in recent years. A mixture of desperation to succeed and blatant privilege (a product of being born into wealth) are what compelled them to take such actions. This really is both a pathetic and eye opening tale.

While the escalating competitive nature of the college admissions process may be frustrating to practically every high school student, it’s a reality we are all struggling to grapple with.

However, it is particularly infuriating when wealthy Americans feel that it is not only okay, but their right to have a spot at a prestigious university in spite of not putting an ounce of effort into their education. It is even more alarming when some of these same students who paid their way into a prestigious university explain that they “don’t even really care about school,” like Lori Loughlin’s daughter, Olivia Jade Giannulli.

Aside from the initial scandal, the plot thickens: students who were rejected from some of the accused universities are suing on the grounds that they were not given a fair admissions opportunity. The lawsuit seeks $5 million on the behalf of what is estimated to be thousands of plaintiffs who will seek class status.

The students want their money back. Those seeking legal action request that anyone who paid an application fee to the named universities and was denied admission get their application fee returned.

According to the complaints, these schools stated that their admission process would be based on the applicants’ merits, both academically and outside the classroom setting. Instead, the students allege that the process they were subjected to was tainted by bribery and school officials who failed to assure a fair application process.