According to the investigation, many students disappear from uni after receiving the money
Students with little to no English proficiency and no formal qualifications are reportedly being accepted into UK universities. They are being granted thousands of pounds in government loans, which they are unlikely to repay.
A recent investigation by the Daily Mail has uncovered widespread misuse of the UK’s higher education system, raising questions about the integrity of student recruitment practices.
Whistleblowers have shared alarming insights into how certain university courses are admitting students with poor English skills, who reportedly stop attending lectures after receiving their first £4,000 maintenance loan.
“They take anyone in off the street,” one lecturer said. Shockingly, instances have been reported of “whole families” enrolling in £9,250-a-year courses, including elderly parents and even grandparents.
This appears to be driven by university staff offering cash bonuses for new student sign-ups. One academic disclosed that a student “who could barely speak English” admitted using his loan to build a home in Romania.
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The investigation has shed light on a growing issue within the franchised university sector. These institutions operate under the banner of established universities but teach courses in outsourced facilities, often in substandard conditions.
Many of these students are recruited via aggressive social media marketing campaigns, which promise financial benefits rather than educational opportunities.
Some recruiters boast that “the Government will pay you” to study, encouraging prospective students to use the funds for personal expenses.
Staff at various universities expressed deep concern over the quality of students being admitted.
One whistleblower from a Midlands-based university revealed: “We get students who come in, and they can’t even spell basic words, let alone write an essay.”
There are also reports of students disappearing from courses once they’ve received their initial loans, only to reapply the following year.
Such abuses are most prevalent in franchised partnerships, where universities outsource teaching to other institutions. A recent report by the Office for Students (OfS) flagged “serious risks to public money,” noting that many of these partnerships prioritize recruitment over course quality. This has led to allegations that some institutions are lowering entry requirements in order to meet recruitment targets.
Meanwhile, some students are reportedly exploiting loopholes in the system to live abroad while enrolled in UK universities.
“Many of the students weren’t even in the country during classes”, one former lecturer at a London-based provider said. “They were logging in from abroad and disappearing from the Zoom sessions.”
TikTok videos promote using the loan to ‘maitain your travel addiction’
Franchised partnerships have rapidly expanded in recent years, now accounting for 138,000 students across the UK, a figure that has doubled in just three years.
Courses on offer range from construction and tourism to business management and health and social care. Despite their stated goal of widening access to education, critics argue that these programs are rife with fraud and poor-quality teaching.
Concerns about the long-term implications of this trend are growing. An academic teaching health and social care described her classes as overcrowded, with students more interested in the financial perks than the education itself.
“They get a laptop, broadband, and exemption from council tax. Many of them will never be in the type of jobs where they’re required to pay back the loans,” she said.
A recent parliamentary report revealed that fraud in these institutions had increased from £330,000 in 2018/19 to £2.1 million last year, accounting for over half of the £4.1 million in identified fraud.
The Office for Students is now conducting investigations into some franchised providers, including Leeds Trinity University.
“We are concerned about the findings of this investigation” Susan Lapworth, the OfS chief executive, warned. ‘Universities must ensure that students have the ability and commitment to succeed, and that public money is protected.”
“We will leave no stone unturned in rooting out this kind of appalling behaviour if proven” a spokesperson for the Department for Education said, describing the investigation’s findings as “truly shocking”.
“Taxpayers’ money should be invested in quality courses, not wasted on systemic fraud.”