Quinn explicitly tells the new pledges that free tuition is something they can get. This is the relevant game script, verbatim:
Python:
qu "So, girls...are you interested?"
mn "Free tuition? Sign me up."
mn "I'm not passing on that offer."
qu "And you, buttercup?"
qu "Are you in?"
my "What do we have to do, exactly?"
sa "All right, sisters and daughters!"
sa "Sorry for the delay!"
qu "*{i}Whispers{/i}* Now, zip it."
Mona speaks of
offer, not rumors. Quinn isn't asking them about rumors, she's making them an offer of getting free tuition.
After Mona can't follow through with whatever is required of her to get the money, Quinn threatens her to keep it secret, and we have the scene of Quinn basically gaslighting Maya, because it's happening in presence of other HOTS, and Quinn kept her side business a secret from them (as shown in the scene above)
Python:
my "Mona! Hey!"
mn "Hey. Congratulations."
my "And to you too! We did it!"
my "I know I'm rushing, but I must ask you..."
my "Did you talk more to Quinn about the free tuition?"
mn "Uh..."
my "Because I was thinking we could do that together."
mn "No. It's not gonna happen."
my "What do you mean?"
mn "Trust me... Drop any thoughts about it and enjoy yourself."
mn "There's no such thing as {b}free{/b} tuition."
my "..."
my "Quinn!"
qu "What's wrong, sister?"
my "When are we getting our free tuition?"
qu "Free tuition? Don't tell me you're trusting rumors?"
my "You promised me and Mona free tuition."
qu "I don't remember agreeing on that. Do you, Mona?"
mn "No."
my "What? You know she promised us!"
my "By the swimming pool at the start of the scavenger hunt!"
my "Ask anyone who was there."
qu "It might have been mentioned as a joke. But that's all."
qu "There's no such thing. It's just a rumor."
qu "Let's continue the party."
my "You lied to me! You said there was! And you know it!"
my "You made us do these...nasty fucking things all week long!"
my "For what!? For nothing!?"
el "Hey... What's wrong?"
js "Maya!"
qu "Nothing's wrong, sisters. Just a minor misunderstanding."
mn "..."
It wasn't unspecified rumors from unknown sources that had these girls going, it was an offer straight from Quinn's mouth, confirming these rumors. When put in a position where admitting to truth would get Quinn busted, she tries to wriggle out of it with childish excuses and threatened Mona's backing. Excuses which people on the forum now peddle for her as if that was actual truth.
As demonstrated Quinn explicitly baited Maya (and Mona) with the idea of free tuition (which would address Maya's money problem) So no, it's not "totally wrong".