Vice-chancellors support new UK Centre for Academic Integrity and call for ban on essay mills

Forty-five vice-chancellors and education leaders from across the UK have written to the Department for Education, calling for legislation against essay mills and urging government to back QAA’s proposal for a new UK Centre for Academic Integrity.

Non-legislative steps have raised awareness of the threat these companies pose to the academic integrity of our universities.

However, essay companies continue to operate largely unchecked in the UK, taking advantage of students' vulnerabilities by encouraging them to cheat.

QAA is working with academics and legal experts to look at whether we can apply existing legislation or need new laws to prevent essay mills advertising and operating in the UK. One thing we are very clear on: any legislation must target these unscrupulous companies, not the student user.

Tackling essay mills is only part of the story. Fake qualifications, rogue agents and cheating in all its forms threaten the high standards and global reputation of our universities, and a number of UK experts are working to challenge these.

Today's letter gives QAA a clear mandate from education leaders across the UK to address these threats head on and maintain the UK's position as a world leader in higher education.