A senior administrator at prestigious Claremont McKenna College admitted to submitting false SAT scores to publications to inflate the small school's ranking among the nation's colleges and universities.
The false scores were submitted to publications like U.S. News & World Report, which releases a high-profile schools ranking often considered by students and parents as part of the college selection process. President Pamela Gann told college staff members and students about the falsified scores in an email Monday, according to The New York Times.
A "senior administrator" took sole responsibility for the false scores and admitted to having done so since 2005, the e-mail stated. The official has resigned, according to the e-mail.
The critical reading and math score reported to the publications were inflated by an average of 10 to 20 points, Gann said.
U.S. News ranked Claremont McKenna ninth in the latest ranking of liberal arts colleges. About 1,200 students attend the school east of Los Angeles.
"At this time, we have no reason to believe that other individuals were involved,'' Gann wrote in her message to staff.
A law firm has been hired to investigate further, according to the Associated Press.
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