The report says the eight universities have received letters from the Department of Education informing them that the agency has launched a "preliminary investigation" into each school. USC later confirmed to Eyewitness News that it did receive a letter of inquiry regarding its preliminary investigation.
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"We will fully cooperate with the DOE as we are with the Department of Justice's ongoing investigation, and will continue to comply with all laws and regulations," the university said in a statement.
In question is whether the schools broke any laws or rules surrounding federal financial aid programs or "any other applicable laws."
If violations are found, the schools could be penalized. They could lose access to Pell grants, and federal student loans could be cut off.
As part of the investigation, universities were ordered to provide a list of all students whose admission was brought up in the Justice Department's investigation. That being said, there's no indication that any of these schools were involved in any of the wrongdoing.
Meantime, 12 defendants in the scheme faced a judge in Boston on Monday. They included three USC coaches and the women's athletic director. All pleaded not guilty.
College admissions scandal: First group of defendants enter not-guilty pleas
College admissions scandal: First group of defendants enter not-guilty pleas
More defendants will be in court later this week, and actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman will be in court next month.
As for the investigation into the universities, the Department of Education is asking for certain documents within 30 days.
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The other schools reportedly receiving the letters are Yale University, Wake Forest University, the University of San Diego, Stanford University, Georgetown University and the University of Texas at Austin.