{"text":[[{"start":7.5,"text":"Thousands of international students offered postgraduate places at UK universities last year made false claims about their qualifications, according to a leading verification consultancy."}],[{"start":18.4,"text":"Nearly 5 per cent of the 55,000 applicants offered places at a sample of 45 UK higher education institutions analysed by the company Qualification Check in 2024-25 did not receive the prior grades or degrees that they cited in their applications."}],[{"start":35.5,"text":"Many others among the UK’s roughly 150 universities did not even conduct detailed checks to verify qualifications at a time of growing scope to fabricate online certifications using digital technology, it said."}],[{"start":49.8,"text":"The figures will spark fresh concerns at a time when the higher education sector’s reliance on international students is under increased scrutiny and immigration rules are being tightened. This month, the government has raised the vetting standards required of universities to sponsor student visas."}],[{"start":67.05,"text":"“We’re seeing similar levels of fraud in higher education as in regulated industries like financial services,” said Ed Hall, chief executive of Qualification Check."}],[{"start":76.95,"text":"“Universities have traditionally done checks that aren’t robust. If we want to protect the sector’s reputation, we need to ensure we are getting the best quality students.”"}],[{"start":86.9,"text":"Hall stressed the importance of universities verifying information directly with the institutions from which students claimed to have graduated."}],[{"start":94.9,"text":"“There is a lack of knowledge about how to do robust verification, and with artificial intelligence, certificates in digital format are very easily falsified,” he said."}],[{"start":104.9,"text":"Applicants most frequently cited false qualifications from universities in Nigeria, followed by ones in Ghana, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Canada."}],[{"start":113.65,"text":"Two-fifths submitted forged documents to support their applications, while one-fifth claimed the incorrect grades or provided no student records."}],[{"start":121.5,"text":"Business and management was the most frequent subject that foreign students with false qualifications were applying for in the UK, reflecting the higher volume of overall applications for those degrees."}],[{"start":133.25,"text":"Among the most common institutions from which applicants claimed to have prior degrees were Kurukshetra University in India, the University of Lagos in Nigeria and Boston University in the US, with students often picking well-known universities and Photoshopping or in other ways sharing false proof of their qualifications."}],[{"start":153.5,"text":"Universities were normally unaware of the false claims, with students sometimes providing links or QR codes to fake university websites resembling the official ones. In a few cases, students worked with insiders in higher education institutions to falsely confirm attendance and grades."}],[{"start":170.75,"text":"The trends on fraudulent qualifications relate to the institutions at which applicants claimed to have previously studied, rather than necessarily the country of origin or nationality of the students."}],[{"start":181.45,"text":"“The vast majority of international students make genuine, legitimate and legal applications. These students are a huge asset to the sector,” Universities UK said."}],[{"start":189.75,"text":"It added: “Universities take their compliance responsibilities very seriously and invest significant time and resources towards ensuring that applicants meet all visa and immigration requirements.”"}],[{"start":201.1,"text":"The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, which co-ordinates undergraduate applications to UK universities, said only 145 applications from home students were cancelled."}],[{"start":212.29999999999998,"text":"It flagged as suspicious 1,375 out of 151,210 non-UK-domiciled undergraduate applicants to UK universities in 2024, notably among candidates from India. In 2025, the numbers dropped to 435 out of 156,060."}],[{"start":243.49999999999997,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1782615277_4425.mp3"}