I can only speak to my experience as a professor of nursing in a New England university. In some professions (health professions as one example), students are required to undergo state and FBI background checks after they have matriculated in the program (ours is completed prior to the junior year of college). According to our handbook, if a student has any conviction before entry or while enrolled, they are required to report it to the director of the program. This may result in dismissal from the program because we are held to higher standards set by our clinical partners and the state board of nursing. If students are unable to be placed in clinical sites, they can’t complete the program requirements. Likewise, continuing to take the tuition money of a student who would be denied licensure by the state would lead to program ethics issues that our accreditors would surely take an interest in. Of course, every state is slightly different, as is every college…this has just been my experience.
As far as party-goers being afraid of losing their admission offer, it could be possible as the result of any criminal charges/convictions they may be required to report to the school. In the past, I rescinded an offer of admission to a student who had a drug trafficking conviction that came up on the background check. People deserve second chances but in this case, the student would not have been able to be placed in a hospital for clinical.