"Admitted by non-standard procedure." It became known how generously Epstein bribed the university where Karina Shulyak studied
Jeffrey Epstein helped Belarusian Karina Shulyak with admission and studies at the dental school of the prestigious Columbia University — she was admitted there after the financier's personal intervention thanks to his connections with the university's leadership, The New York Times learned from "Epstein's files." The university itself commented on this information, writes "Zerkalo" (Mirror).
Jeffrey Epstein with Karina Shulyak
Karina Shulyak, a native of Belarus, is a former BSMU student who came to the US in 2009 when she was 20 years old. She was Jeffrey Epstein's girlfriend for several years and maintained a relationship with him until his death in prison.
As The New York Times found out, in 2012, when Shulyak was about 22 years old, she tried to enter the dental school of Columbia University in New York, one of the most famous and prestigious in the country, but initially received a rejection.
After this, Epstein directly got involved. According to US Department of Justice documents, he leveraged his connections within the university's leadership and made it clear that he was considering a large donation – from 5 to 10 million dollars.
As a result, several high-ranking employees of the dental school began to personally help Shulyak: the former dean contacted BSMU to request documents about the girl's studies, the head of the department provided materials for the entrance exam, and the associate dean developed an individual curriculum for her.
As a result, Shulyak was admitted. In subsequent years, Epstein paid for her tuition and additional courses: according to financial reports, he spent at least $631,000 on Shulyak's education. Concurrently, he made donations to Columbia University – first $100,000 for a public health project, then another $50,000 to the dental school's fund.
In 2014, Shulyak received a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree, and in 2025, she again graduated from Columbia University, receiving a certificate in an advanced dental education program. She is now about 36 years old, and, according to American media, she lives in New York. The Belarusian woman declined to comment publicly on her connection to Epstein.
Columbia University published a statement regarding this information. It states that in 2019, the university became aware of correspondence between Jeffrey Epstein and former employees of the dental school, most of whom no longer work at the university.
"In short, one student was admitted to the dental school through a non-standard procedure, which coincided with attempts to attract donations made by former academic and alumni leadership of the school. These funding discussions were conducted by the then-leadership of the dental school or individuals acting on their behalf, but not at the direction of the leadership of Columbia University Medical Center or the university as a whole," the university reported.
The university emphasized that such procedures did not comply with its standards of "integrity and independence in student admissions." During the investigation, several individuals who still maintained ties with the dental school were suspended from work.
The university also recorded donations from organizations linked to Epstein totaling $210,000. No other donations from the financier or related entities were found. These funds will be transferred in equal shares – $105,000 each – to two New York NGOs that provide support to victims of sexual violence and human trafficking.
"The student in question completed her studies and was not found guilty of any wrongdoing," Columbia University concluded.
Comments
"Эти переговоры о финансировании велись тогдашним руководством стоматологической школы или лицами по их поручению, но не по указанию руководства медицинского центра Колумбийского университета или университета в целом», — сообщили в вузе."