Tackling Bogus Degree provision and Degree Fraud in England

The Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) is seeking a contractor for the delivery of services to enhance the Department’s activities to tackle bogus degree provision and degree fraud in England. BIS is responsible for promoting and protecting the reputation of the UK higher education (HE) sector. An important part of this work is concerned with dealing with issues that arise from activities carried out by bogus degree providers, also known as degree mills. In order to seek to better protect the reputation of the UK HE sector, the Department commissioned a service in 2015 for an initial one year period to expand its activities in this area by taking a more proactive approach to tackling degree mills and also the related area of degree fraud. The Department is now looking to continue the service for another one year period.

BIS is responsible for maintaining lists of recognised UK degree course providers. This comprises institutions who have their own degree awarding powers (known as Recognised Bodies) as well as institutions who deliver degree courses that are awarded by a ‘Recognised Body’ through validated or franchised arrangements. Under sections 214-216 of the Education Reform Act 1988, it is an offence for a body to award a UK degree or offer a UK degree course unless that body is already recognised and officially listed. BIS has no direct enforcement role (this being the responsibility of Trading Standards Departments). BIS’s role is to advise the public about legitimate degree providers and to liaise with the enforcement authorities where appropriate where bogus degree providers appear to be operating in the UK. Degree mills have been a growing concern, not just here in the UK, but worldwide. Their expansion has been fuelled by the World Wide Web. This has enabled degree mills to take on a virtual presence and to give the appearance of an actual HE institution even though no such institution actually exists. The strong reputation of the UK HE sector means that the UK is a target for bogus operators who purport to operate a UK based “university”. Degree fraud is a closely related area. The “qualifications” offered by bogus providers tend to be used by applicants seeking to gain employment under false pretences. This has the potential to disadvantage students with genuine qualifications who are competing for labour market opportunities with candidates with false qualifications because employers have not made the necessary checks.

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