The mastermind and architect behind the college admissions scandal is going to end up like Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman ... by spending time behind bars.
Rick Singer was sentenced to 42 months -- 3.5 years -- in federal prison for his role in the Varsity Blues scandal.
GAMING THE SYSTEM
Remember ... the feds say Singer was the architect of a massive, decades-long fraudulent scheme to get high school students into elite colleges and universities across the country .