The BBC is reporting that it is an “open secret” that international students with limited English proficiency can easily enrol in UK university courses, as well as cases of students exploiting illegal loopholes such as paying others to complete coursework or attend lectures on their behalf.

An anonymous master’s student, going by the alias Yasmin, spoke to the BBC, making claims of low levels of English within international student cohorts, as well as commonplace cheating using essay mills.

The student claims that up to 90% of students in a class could be cheating, breaking the law by buying assignments from overseas essay mills, something that she said is overlooked by some tutors.

Published alongside the article is a BBC Sounds episode titled the ‘The International Student Scandal‘ in which Yasmin, from Iran, speaks to a BBC journalist for File on 4.

The episode claims such examples are a “portal” into UK universities’ reliance on international fees, and later hears from Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union who spoke of “black holes in funding” across UK institutions. Universities are attempting to mitigate this by “stockpiling” international students who are willing to pay “eye-watering sums”, claimed Grady.

Just last month, research from the Office for Students warned that 72% of higher education providers in England could be in deficit by 2025/26, and 40% would have fewer than 30 days’ liquidity. The forecasts presented a stark warning for England’s universities, urging them to take immediate action and abandon reliance on overly optimistic projections.

For its investigation the BBC also spoke to an academic at a Russell Group institution, who corroborated the student’s claims of widespread use of essay mills and suggested that academic ability is not a priority for those in recruitment.

Back in 2023, The PIE News found such essay mill companies to be “thriving”, with companies actively targeting international students. This is despite it being a criminal offence to provide or arrange for another person to provide contract cheating services for financial gain to students enrolled at a higher education provider in England.

Responding to the BBC’s coverage, a spokesperson for Universities UK emphasised measures taken to assess student competency, but revealed that work is currently being undertaken to review this.

“The UK’s universities have a reputation for world-class standards and want to keep it that way. So, they are well practised at ensuring that students’ qualifications and abilities are genuine,” a spokesperson for the representative body for UK higher educations institutions said.

The UK’s universities have a reputation for world-class standards and want to keep it that way
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“Any student looking to study in the UK has to meet a minimum level of English language competency set by the Home Office. Universities follow these rules and many go beyond in what they ask of students. To ensure that people can have the utmost confidence in the system, we are working with government on a thorough review of language testing requirements.”

In September, it was revealed that the Home Office is engaging with the market about proposals to build a new Secure English Language Testing model developed by one supplier for an estimated £1.13 billion.

In August, the Higher Education Policy Institute published an anonymous blog written by two academics which expressed similar concerns of that of the BBC’s sources. It’s not known if the BBC’s source is one of these two academics, but extremely similar examples and wording are used.

The professors, both employed at Russell Group institutions, spoke of a “quality crisis”, with issues relating to English language proficiency, as well as low engagement, most acute on master’s programs but rife across all courses.

“On the master’s program in our departments, only a very small number of students typically have the English language skills necessary for engaging in meaningful seminar discussions,” according to the academics.

“Now, our typical seminar experience is that material must be delivered in a lecture style, and preferably as a written document so that it can be translated using one of the many translation apps. Further, many students use translation apps (of variable quality) to provide real-time translation of any spoken content.

“How has this situation arisen? The basics are clear: long-term underfunding of HE, a marketised higher education system, and university leaderships that value the generation of a financial surplus above all else. Income from home student teaching is too low – and has led to a rush to recruit high-fee-paying international students.”

HEPI’s Rose Stephenson commented on the BBC’s findings: “International students must pass an English Language test to enrol on a course at a UK University. The standard for this is set by the UK government. As with students studying anywhere in the world, those studying in their second language may need extra support to develop their confidence to engage in technical class discussions.

“International students bring cultural, economic and soft-power benefits to the UK and ensuring that all students, including international students, have a great experience should be an ongoing focus for the sector,” Stephenson told The PIE.

The BBC’s report this week is not the first time the UK’s international education sector has faced scrutiny from mainstream media. Earlier this year, the Sunday Times spoke to an former Study Group employee who made claims that domestic students were being “squeezed out” of universities by international students through international pathway programs, and claimed that profit motive often overrides the drive for quality.

In its own segment, the BBC spoke to the same whistleblower, along with a Study Group representative who refuted claims made by the former employee.