Yale, Columbia, MIT lose bid to end suit alleging collusion in admissions

The suit accuses the varsity 'cartel' of a scheme to set financial aid according to a common formula rather than offering the most generous package

More than a dozen elite US colleges—including Yale, Columbia, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology—must face antitrust litigation over their alleged conspiracy to hold down financial aid packages while telling the world they admit applicants regardless of financial need, a federal judge in Chicago ruled Monday.

Judge Matthew F Kennelly let the proposed class action move forward, denying several motions to dismiss the case. The schools aren’t covered by the so-called 568 exemption, which provides a partial antitrust shield for colleges that act in concert to promote need-blind admissions, he found.

Kennelly, writing for the US District Court for the Northern District