The Three Forbidden Fruits of the Study Abroad Market
Pre-Exam Answer Sheets
Pre-exam answer sheets are undoubtedly the first forbidden fruit. Whether it's IELTS, TOEFL, or GRE, there is always one test tormenting poor test-takers. Memorizing words doesn't guarantee high scores; doing real test questions doesn't guarantee high scores; taking prep classes doesn't guarantee high scores. If someone says, 'I have a GRE pre-exam answer sheet for 30,000 RMB, guaranteed 330+,' 80% of test-takers would be tempted and think the price is reasonable and fair. Sellers lure desperate young applicants with the promise of a 'safe and easy shortcut.' Little do they know, students who buy the answers could face up to 5 years in prison or deportation and permanent ban from entering the U.S. For the tens of thousands of Chinese international students who didn't buy answers, their test centers were cancelled and scores delayed. Only the unscrupulous merchants take the money and run without responsibility.
15 Chinese international students were indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice for alleged cheating and impersonation in TOEFL and SAT exams. The test-taking organizer was arrested and charged with forging documents, facing up to 5 years in prison or deportation and permanent ban from the U.S.
May 2015
After three months of large-scale score audits, the IELTS organizer permanently withheld the scores of 350 Chinese test-takers. Tens of thousands of students who took the IELTS in the summer of 2015 had their scores delayed, severely impacting their application progress.
October 2015
The ACT testing center cancelled scores from South Korea and Hong Kong, with hundreds of test centers under review, affecting approximately 5,500 test-takers.
June 2016
The SAT administrator, College Board, cancelled all international SAT exams scheduled for June and August.
Guaranteed Admission to Top Schools
Even more tempting than exam answers is the forbidden fruit of guaranteed admission to Ivy League schools. Ads like 'No prerequisites, any major, guaranteed Ivy League admission with scholarships' would make even CheersYou（清柚教育） tempted. For Top 30 schools, guaranteed admission for undergraduates costs around 600,000-900,000 RMB, for graduate students 400,000-700,000 RMB, and there are even PhD offers with scholarships. In reality, at least 200 Chinese students are defrauded each year, losing millions of 'guaranteed admission fees' at once.
Ghostwriting for Research Papers
Ghostwriting for research papers has become another hot item in the study abroad market. CheersYou（清柚教育） has seen ads like: 'Want to join a top lab? Want to enter a prestigious graduate school? It's okay if you don't have time to become outstanding, just worry you won't have time to apply.' Five years ago, Science magazine conducted an undercover investigation of 27 Chinese agencies selling authorship of SCI papers. The price to purchase an author position ranged from $1,600 (about 9,750 RMB) to $26,300, already exceeding the annual income of some assistant professors at that time. The paper market hasn't calmed down this year; instead, ghostwriting prices have surged. Rumor has it that a first-author SCI paper now costs $55,000. Even though Chinese international students are expelled every year for academic fraud, as long as the paper market remains open, students will still be tempted and go astray.
(Alleged ghostwriting service process flow)
Escalated Punishments, Severe Consequences
01 U.S. Universities: Expulsion and Loss of Status
All U.S. universities place great emphasis on academic integrity education. Typically, at the beginning of each course, the syllabus clearly states not to violate relevant rules, and before each exam, students sign an integrity agreement. If students still go ahead recklessly, it can lead to very serious consequences.
Students who violate academic integrity codes may face academic warning, probation, suspension, or even expulsion. Suspension and expulsion immediately invalidate a student's international student status, making it impossible to continue studying in the U.S., and all activities in the U.S. will be affected.
If false information (such as fake test scores or application materials) is submitted during the application process and reported by classmates, the school will immediately launch an investigation. Once the investigation confirms the violation, the university will immediately revoke the student's status, expel them, and bar them from reapplying to that institution for 5 years.
02 U.S. Government: Deportation, Imprisonment, and Hefty Fines
Academic fraud by students is generally first punished by the school. If a U.S. university revokes the student's status, they lose their legal status in the U.S. and cannot legally remain.
If the fraud involves government-funded research projects or academic papers, more severe penalties await. Title 18, Section 47, 'Fraud and False Statements,' Section 1001 (18 U.S.C §1001) of the U.S. Code clearly states that whoever, within the jurisdiction of the executive, legislative, or judicial branch of the U.S. government, knowingly and willfully falsifies, conceals, or covers up by any trick, scheme, or device a material fact; (2) makes any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement; (3) makes or uses any false writing or document; shall be fined and imprisoned up to 5 years; if the offense involves international or domestic terrorism, up to 8 years.
In addition to criminal liability, serious academic fraud may also lead to civil penalties. Under the False Claims Act, any individual or company (especially those with federal contracts) that defrauds government programs is subject to civil liability. For example, one provision of the Act states that knowingly making or using false records or statements to obtain federal funding or approval incurs legal responsibility. The Act also includes a qui tam action mechanism: whistleblowers with no government affiliation can sue on behalf of the government for violations of public interest and receive a percentage of the penalty, typically 12% to 30%, varying by state. In 2015, the U.S. federal government awarded nearly $600 million to whistleblowers who exposed academic fraud.
By offering high rewards to whistleblowers and imposing hefty fines plus criminal penalties on fraudsters, the U.S. government's stance is clear: academic fraud not only wastes federal funds but also damages science itself. We must send a clear message to the scientific community and the public that any fraudulent behavior will not be tolerated.
03 Chinese Government: Public Disclosure and Permanent Record
On April 8, 2018, the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE) issued the 'Notice on Publicizing Dishonest Acts in the Authentication of Overseas Academic Degrees,' stating that effective immediately, a special column on the China Study Abroad website would publicly disclose dishonest acts discovered during the degree authentication process.
If an applicant submits fraudulent materials for authentication, they will be publicly disclosed. Once the dishonest act is confirmed, the applicant's name, authentication result number, and specific act will be displayed in the public notice column.
By making personal information and dishonest acts public and recording them in personal files, this indelible stain will follow the fraudster for life. The Chinese government's punitive measures are enough to change a person's life.
