The BBC describes in this article the story of a bogus university in the UK that was attracting students from around the world, collecting their tuition, and giving out worthless degrees.
Though unaccredited, the Irish International University was able to convince prospective and current students of its elite standing through smoke and mirrors: a website featuring a picture-postcard university and choreographed awards ceremonies in which students received their diplomas in buildings associated with Oxford and Cambridge Universities.
An actor posing as a scholar was able to film, tape and photograph interviews with “university” leaders, one of whom described the whole thing as “dodgy”…. Read the whole thing here.
There are lots of great universities in the UK and they tend to have very strict entrance requirements for international students. Most US students who study in the UK do so through (high-priced) arrangements with study abroad packagers, though many take advantage of the fact that yes, they do speak English in the UK and it’s simple enough to apply on your own and save a lot of money.
In either case, it’s important to check out the university you’re considering. A simple Google search will reveal comments, links, articles, blogs and other references to any accredited university.
Don’t judge a university by its website UNLESS you’re backing that up with due diligence!
NEWS FLASH: It’s not just one school! A recent assessment of schools in the UK targeting international students has revealed that 124 universities listed were indeed bogus, serving mostly as a means of providing student visas to immigrants. Read more here.
2 Comments
January 22, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Excellent post on an easily overlooked problem. Scepticism remains a helpful ally as we keep our eyes wide open for exciting, new educational opportunities.
January 26, 2008 at 10:46 am
Excellent research done by the BBC – now they should do one on dodgyUK universities that exploit overseas students, charge them masssive fees, provide hardly any teaching, accept anyone who can pay high fees, etc. etc. This would make the IIU look like saints!