Kemi Badenoch, leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, is facing renewed scrutiny over her academic history after a former Stanford University admissions officer challenged her claim of having received an offer to study pre-med in the United States.
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Badenoch has frequently cited the supposed offer as evidence of her parents’ efforts to secure her a strong education despite financial constraints. She also stated that she gained admission into medical school in Nigeria and Stanford’s pre-med programme but chose to study in Britain because it was more affordable.
The narrative was repeated in a 2023 Times feature, which claimed her SAT scores earned her a partial scholarship to Stanford.
However, Stanford University does not offer a pre-med major, noting on its website that students preparing for health professions may major in any discipline.
Jon Reider, who handled international admissions and bursaries at Stanford at the time, strongly disputed Badenoch’s account.
“Although 30 years have passed, I would definitely remember if we had admitted a Nigerian student with any financial aid. The answer is that we did not do so,” Reider told The Guardian UK.
He further explained that Stanford would not have admitted a 16-year-old solely based on test scores, nor would it have offered a partial scholarship. “If an applicant needed, say, $30,000 a year to attend, we would offer them the full amount. There was no point in offering them less because they would not have been able to attend,” he said.
Reider added that none of his decisions as an admissions officer were ever overruled by a dean, casting further doubt on Badenoch’s claim.
The Conservative Party has not responded to requests for comment.
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