Updated at 5:15 p.m. with a copy of the letter the U.S. Department of Education sent to the University of Texas at Austin.

AUSTIN — The federal government has opened inquiries into eight schools, including the University of Texas at Austin, tied to the recent alleged admissions bribery scandal.

The U.S. Department of Education is looking into whether any of these schools broke laws and rules "governing the Federal student financial aid programs...or any other applicable laws," according to a letter sent to UT Austin and obtained by The Dallas Morning News. If it is found in violation, the university could be penalized by cuts to its federal student loans and grants.

"The allegations made and evidence cited by the Department of Justice raise questions about whether your institution is fully meeting its obligations" under federal law and department rules, according to the letter. The university was asked to respond to a number of questions and provide a slew of documents, including promotional and recruiting materials, internal audits and reviews and student data.

It specifically asked if the university is aware of any students "implicated in the U.S. Department of Justice investigation" who were left out of a federal registry of academic data tracking things like scholarships, student income levels and race.

The investigation, which is described as "preliminary," was first reported by POLITICO.

A UT Austin spokesman confirmed the university received such a letter, and said it was working with federal officials to respond to their questions regarding admissions while also conducting its own internal review.

In addition to UT Austin, this letter was also sent to Yale University, Wake Forest University, the University of San Diego, Stanford University, Georgetown University, the University of Southern California and the University of California, Los Angeles.

Earlier this month, federal prosecutors announced indictments against nearly 50 people implicated in an elaborate scheme to guarantee the children of wealthy parents admission into elite colleges. The alleged crimes included cheating on entrance exams and bribing college officials. UT Austin tennis coach Michael Center, one of the officials tied to the scheme, was fired. Center allegedly accepted about $100,000 for helping recruit a student he falsely claimed was a tennis recruit.

Gov. Greg Abbott has also ordered all Texas colleges and universities to review their admissions practices in the wake of the scandal.