The Times Educational Supplement, sister paper of the Times Higher Education, has reported that nearly 30,000 applicants to UK universities last year cheated on their personal statements by copying them from online sources or other applicants. The 600-word personal statements for UCAS applications in the UK are an integral part of the university application process, where a student is supposed to demonstrate their personality and why they stand out from other applicants.

UCAS uses plagiarism detection systems, which are also used in many universities to scan essays, and found that in those 30,000 copied statements at least 10% was identical to another source or application, with hundreds even copying the opening lines. The rate of plagiarism in personal statements decreased from 5% in 2007 when UCAS first trialled it’s plagiarism software to 2.8% in 300, but has risen again to 3.85% in 2010.

In another case, scandal hit Japan’s universities last week as it emerged that a series of questions posted on a popular website, which at first seemed innocent, were in fact taken directly from the entrance exam to the prestigious Kyoto University, posted –and answered – whilst the exam was taking place. It is believed that the poster, named ‘aicezuki’, posted the English and maths questions on Yahoo Japan’s “chiebukuro” (pearls of wisdom) site using a mobile phone.

It has further emerged that posts under the same name were also posted during entrance exams to other popular universities, Doshisha University, Rikkyo University and Waseda University. It is not yet clear whether there is more than one person involved and police have launched a search for those responsible. The scandal has prompted calls to ban mobile phones and electronic devices from test sites, such as in South Korea, where a similar ban was brought in after another cheating scandal involving mobile phones in 2004.

And it’s not just the youngsters either. German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg was recently found to have copied large chunks of his 2006 university doctorate thesis and has since stood down from his post and been stripped of his PhD. He has claimed that his plagiarism was a mistake but this has been met with much scepticism, with tens of thousands of German academics writing complaints to the Chancellor, Angela Merkel, who has stood by him throughout the scandal. The University of Bayreuth stripped Guttenberg of his PhD after it emerged that over half of the 475-page thesis had been taken word for word from other people’s work.

Cases like these seem to suggest that plagiarism and cheating is rife, although obviously this is still a small minority and the majority of university students are honest and don’t plagiarise. But in an age of ever-smaller mobile devices and internet access, universities may have trouble curbing the numbers of cheating students. Perhaps some students can’t avoid the temptation to cheat when they think they cannot be found out – according to plagiarism.org, a poll conducted by US News and World Reports found that 90% of students believed that cheaters are never caught or are not appropriately disciplined.

We asked some UK students whether they would cheat on entrance or university exams if they thought they wouldn’t get caught,  and it seems that even those who wouldn’t cheat cited their reason as fear of being caught, rather than the morals involved.

Here’s some of their thoughts on cheating*:

“Of course I would, because I could always actually learn stuff once I am on the course. It would give me a better start.” – Sarah, journalism student from the University of Westminster

“No, it’s not worth the risk of getting caught.” –  Jane, studying Costume with Performance Design at the Arts University College at Bournemouth

“I wouldn’t. Bad Karma… I’d be paranoid the whole time, and I like to feel I have got there on my own… you can always resit.” – Ruth, Marine Biology student from Newcastle University

“If you wouldn’t get caught why wouldn’t you? You would be stupid for not cheating.” – Ben, Business student, Brunel University

Although the majority of students are not cheating, those who are considering plagiarising or cheating should consider the consequences. Plagiarism can lead to failure of a courses and even expulsion, and in some cases can be a legal matter.

What do you think? Would you cheat if you thought you wouldn’t get caught? Do the morals around cheating matter?

*Names have been changed for confidentiality reasons

In the previous year, the number of international enrolments in the US rose by 8% with a 16% rise in first-time students. Some education experts believe this slowing growth is due to the economy. US institutions no longer have the budget for overseas recruitment in countries such as South Korea and Vietnam.

The reliance on China has therefore been seen as a blessing by some as it is allowing universities to maintain an income but if an incident was to halt the flow of students from China then this could be disastrous for the US. A situation similar to what occurred with the overthrow of the Shah in Iran in the late 1970s with subsequent ban on travel for Iranian students, could be damaging to the US. Similarly,  a change in circumstances such as improved domestic universities or other destinations eating into the market share for Chinese students, could spell disaster for many US institutions.

There are also other reasons why over reliance on one country can have a negative impact on a university. A more homogenous student body does little for student experience in terms of global awareness and campus diversity.

As well as the global economic downturn affecting the ability of students in some of the top sending countries to study in the US, it is also the case that many graduate programmes in these countries have developed sufficiently to entice students into staying. Many more students are choosing destinations such as Singapore or the UK as the chances of finding employment after graduation are significantly higher.

However, the US is often seen to be the perfect destination for students who don’t achieve so highly on the gaokao, China’s notoriously difficult college entrance exam system. The US also has the added attraction of extra-curricular activities.

For the moment, the US’s position as the number one destination for international students remains secure, especially with the flow of Chinese students showing no signs of immediately slowing but it will  be interesting to see how the trend develops over the coming years.

The China capital plans to renovate the curriculum and focus on improving the quality of college facilities to attract more students from overseas. There are also plans to make connections with Ivy League universities in the USA to enable international exchange programmes.

According to 2009 Ministry of Education statistics, last year 71,000 overseas students studied in Beijing, the majority of whom originate from South Korea, Japan and the United States. With the new strategy to increase the international student intake, the city aims to increase this number by another 10,000.

Last month i-studentadvisor reported a rise in the number of overseas students studying throughout China in 2009. Last year nearly 240,000 foreign students enrolled to study at Chinese institutions.

The aim to increase the number of overseas students in China and Beijing will be assisted by Barack Obama’s pledge last year to send 100,000 US Students to China over the next four years.

The total of 230,000 foreign students marks the highest number since the founding of New China in 1949, and an increase of 6.6% on 2008’s numbers.

The top 10 countries sending students to China in 2009 were:

• South Korea
• The USA
• Japan
• Vietnam
• Thailand
• Russia
• India
• Indonesia
• Kazakhstan
• Pakistan

Overall the majority of foreign students in China originated from Asia (68%) followed by Europe (15%), the Americas (10.7%), Africa (5%) and Oceania (1.1%). China increased the number of scholarships made available to foreign students by around 35% on last years numbers, providing more than 18,000 students with support.

China has declared its goal of attracting 500,000 students in the year 2020. Since 1949, around 1.69 million students from around the world have chosen to study in China.

In fact, whilst applications from traditional markets in the Far East have declined in the past year, the number of students applying from India to study in New Zealand has risen by 42%.

Education New Zealand has attributed the increased interest as proof that diversifying the market has had a positive impact, citing not just the rise in Indian applications but also the surge from other locations such as South America and the Middle East.

In the last two years the number of international students in New Zealand has risen by over 8000.

The rise in Indian applicants has also been encouraged by Immigration New Zealand, who recently amended their application processes to reduce the visa application period from as much as five months down to just 22 days.

With the number of young Indian people under the age of 25 now at the 500 million mark, the market for Indian students is vast, and New Zealand are eager to see numbers rising.

Education New Zealand chief executive Robert Stevens said: “New Zealand is seen as a safe, welcoming country by most Indian students and we enjoy a good reputation in India for the quality of our institutions.”

The overall trends of the study showed a dwindling in the US dominance of the league table and a surge in Asian universities claiming places that could rival America’s Ivy League and the UK’s Oxbridge in coming years.

The top 10 was dominated, as usual, by the US and UK institutions with Harvard claiming the top spot for the sixth consecutive year. The University of Cambridge knocked Yale University out of second place. University of Oxford slipped by one place this year down to a joint fifth with Imperial College London. Overall there were four UK universities to the United States six in the top 10.

However the real success story is the Asian institutions, with appearances from institutions in Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea and Malaysia. Japan holds 11 places in the top 200 with the University of Tokyo ranking the highest at 22 and Hong Kong holds five positions, three of them in the top 50 starting with the University of Hong Kong at 24. Mainland China maintains its total of six institutions from last year, South Korea holds two places and Malaysia joined the league table at 180th place with Universiti Malaya.

Long Po Yee, a commenter on the Guardian website said:

“As a Hong Konger, I am really very happy to see that Hong Kong universities are in high quality. For me, I have studied in the Chinese Univeristy of Hong Kong (CUHK), and I felt that is really great and they offered green environment with quality education and facilities.”

You can download the full league table of all 200 universities here or visit the Times Higher Education website for a break down on the scoring for special areas of expertise.