Plagiarism Cases Double in UK University Applications Over Two Years

British universities have witnessed a concerning increase in the number of students plagiarizing personal statements for their university applications over the past two years, according to the latest data from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

In most cases where plagiarism was detected in applications to British universities, three out of five involved international students. That means the number of students has doubled in the last two years.

There has been a 15 percent increase in identified plagiarism cases since the launch of ChatGPT, Erudera.com reports.

In 2023, a total of 7,300 personal statements were detected for plagiarism by UCAS, the organization that processes undergraduate student applications to British universities and colleges. The figure increased by 105 percent from two years ago when the number of plagiarized personal statements was 3,559.

According to a report by Times of India, the United Kingdom, India, Nigeria, Romania, and China accounted for the majority of plagiarism cases detected in student undergraduate applications. Universities where most student applications were found plagiarized are Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), the University of Greenwich, and Birmingham City University.

“We have a responsibility to our applicants, course providers, and stakeholders to screen applications for false, missing and/or misleading information, check personal statements for patterns of similarity, and to report our findings. Our aim is to avoid anyone gaining from an unfair advantage and securing a place by deception,” UCAS says in a statement on its website.

The organization states that all personal statements are screened by the UCAS similarity detection system, Copycatch and that a committed Verification Team is responsible for preventing and detecting fraud in applications and personal statements.

“If you provide true, complete, and accurate information, and if your personal statement is all your own work, then you have nothing to worry about,” the organization said.

According to a newly released report by the UK Parliament, the total number of full-time undergraduate applications submitted through UCAS last year reached 757,000, of which 550,000 were accepted. That was 10,000 fewer applications than the 2022 record level.

UCAS recorded the second-highest number of 18-year-olds applying to an undergraduate course at British universities.

Commenting on the data released in February last year, UCAS Chief Executive Clare Marchant said the highest record for the second time proves a steady attraction to pursue undergraduate studies in the UK.

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