UK universities are facing unprecedented threats to academic integrity. A new wave of pupils – particularly international students – are seeking essay cheating help. Reports indicate that many students are turning to online essay-writing companies, making it easier than ever to bypass traditional academic rigor. This disturbing development has raised alarm bells from colleges, employers, and accreditors.
Students like Alia, of the University of Lincoln, were worried about decreasing levels of engagement among their classmates. By the second module of her course, she started to see that a third of her peers—one in three—had just dropped out altogether. Yet their absence was deeply felt. “Some would just stand behind the class door, submit their presence and leave,” she noted. Most students very much dislike and fail at writing in-depth essays. This challenge has led to poor attendance and driven them to look externally for support.
The market for these essay-writing services has boomed, with companies such as Barclay Littlewood’s charging as little as £20 per 1,000 words. Littlewood’s firm says it draws on a talent pool of 3,000 freelance writers from around the world, many of whom are academics. Prices do not only go up exponentially, orders of doctorate or master’s essays can be placed for up to £20,000.
The magnitude of this academic dishonesty is highlighted by a shocking statistic. What Turnitin’s detection tool showed was a surprising number. AI is powerful, but it’s not entirely infallible. Over one in ten of the papers reviewed during this year had 20% or more AI content. This has serious implications not only for the quality of education being provided, but the integrity of the degrees and other qualifications being granted.
The challenges that Alia and her 20 international classmates experienced extended beyond essay-writing into active participation in the classroom as well. A significant number quickly dropped out of their research completely. She reflected on her experiences, stating, “When the grades were released, for most of the modules they got better grades and were laughing at me.” Hard-working students are being confused and misled more than ever before. If they cheat, all the work that these honest businesses have put in might be washed away.
Steve Foster, an ex-lecturer who quit his job after widespread cheating among students turned academic institutions into “diploma factories,” underscored the dilemma. As he pointed out, students from abroad may struggle when it comes to English language skills. To make ends meet, others will turn to fraud. “It was both their lack of knowledge in English language and the fact that they did not care for the lesson and were talking to each other or playing on their phones,” Alia added.
As Foster pointed out, academic misconduct seems to always get framed as an issue of international students. Of the 53 higher education institutions that provided data, 48 reported a significant representation of international students in their misconduct investigations. He questioned the implications of this trend for future professionals: “Would you want to travel over a bridge that’s been designed by one of these students?” he asked rhetorically.
Since last April, it has been illegal to provide essays written by others for students in post-16 education in England. Instead, the lingering presence of essay mills remains a serious danger to academic integrity throughout the UK. Universities UK reiterated that each university operates under very clear codes of conduct. These codes adopt an attitude of zero tolerance, punishing students severely for submitting work that is not otherwise their own. Penalties for infractions can vary from being awarded a score of zero to suspension from or even permanent removal from their degree pathway.
Looking back on her academic path, Alia admitted, “I don’t take pride in this degree now. She was concerned that employers would make the most superficial judgments about her qualifications. She began to worry that she would be seen as someone who had cheated her way through college. “I have learned a lot myself, and achieved a lot, but how is the employer going to see the difference between someone like me and these people?” she pondered.
The implications of this practice reach beyond these students alone. A new report from Higher Ed Dive uncovers a chilling statistic—over 40% of universities are dangerously close to financial collapse. This threat is mainly due to a drop in international student enrollment. As institutions continue to navigate these challenges, they need to tackle the increasing threat of academic dishonesty directly.
Annie Chechitelli, chief product officer at Turnitin, emphasized the urgency of addressing this issue: “It is more critical than ever.” Universities must remain vigilant against academic misconduct while providing support for students struggling with language barriers and academic expectations.
The conversation surrounding academic integrity continues as educators and administrators work to foster an environment where honesty and hard work are valued above shortcuts.
