7 Unethical Practices In the Indian Study Abroad Industry

When 'he' walked into the plush office of the Bangalore-based educational consultancy for SOP services, he didn't realize that the same SOP would also be used by other applicants thereby causing his application to be rejected on the grounds of plagiarism. In another case, when ‘she' received the fake mark sheets from a Mumbai-based educational consultancy, she thought they were doing her a favor by helping her secure a seat, but in reality, this act of fraud caused her to be expelled from the university when they later found out the truth.

Such cases of numerous 'hes' and 'shes' being duped by so-called education consultants are rampant across India, so much so that it actually warrants the need for official government bodies and legal authorities to institute strict guidelines and requirements to regulate the operations and practices of agents and consultancies. Establishments engaging in nefarious activities have cropped across the length and breadth of the country costing, time, money, energy, and emotional distress. With India currently experiencing a Youth bulge in addition to rising income levels in Tier 2 and 3 cities, many students flock to these establishments that seemingly offer assistance in preparing SOPs, CVs or by granting fake admissions. Therefore, it remains essential to evaluate the ethical concerns affecting the Indian Study abroad Market.

1. Commissions Driven University Suggestions

Right up front, is the infamous unethical practice adopted by numerous consultants of suggesting universities that offer the highest commission to the consultant irrespective of whether the university is good or not for the applicant. The student often ends up with options that may not be the best -fit for them; they may not necessarily thrive scholastically or secure desirable job options at such institutions. Such an act is a gross disrespect towards the student and just another cheap way of pocketing more money. Alongside this practice, is the issue of consultants charging additional fees from students going to their partnered universities when they would anyways be receiving commission from those partnered universities (double dipping!). Therefore, it is vital that applicants explore their university options independently without falling prey to one's recommendations blindly.

2. False Promises & Guarantees

Numerous consultants, without any guilt or remorse, have pocketed hefty sums from applicants who do not even meet the basic admission requirements by promising and guaranteeing admissions to top universities, including Ivy League options; however, no university offers a seat without the student meeting the academic requirements. Added to that, almost all universities abroad consider various factors, not just academic performance, before they take a final call. They might consider the students' research acumen, extracurricular activities, community engagement, and more. Not just that, there are establishments that even promise false scholarships, PR contracts, and job options in the hopes of luring young ignorant applicants and their families. Such practices of pulling the wool over applicants' eyes' are highly condemnable and need to be stopped at the earliest.

3. Cheating Rural and First-Time Families

Students from small towns or first-generation applicants may not necessarily have all the knowledge and awareness of what goes on behind the scenes. They may blindly provide the fraudulent consultants with all their money and time for extremely low-quality options abroad never to realize that they are being duped. An educational consultancy in Lucknow had charged first-time applicants with almost 5 lakh just for application assistance when in reality these applications are freely available on the college websites. These establishments exploited the naivete of the first-time applicants to fill their pockets. In order to avoid these kinds of scenarios, students should check the college websites before paying a hefty sum to fraudulent educational constants.

4. Fraudulent Marketing

Rather than doing a good job and relying on authentic positive reviews, many educational consultants have sought the services of unscrupulous marketing agencies to write fake reviews on public platforms to attract traffic. Students and parents may unknowingly deem such establishments as genuine based on falsified positive claims online, thereby derailing the student's application progress. Therefore it is important to cross-check reviews on multiple platforms and gather testimonials from students who have actually used their services.

5. Visa processing Hassles

It goes without saying that visa processing is an integral part of the entire study abroad application process and dodgy activities in this step can even cause the student to be debarred from entering the country. Many establishments take a huge sum from the applicants by guaranteeing a hundred percent visa approval, which obviously cannot be promised as it is a decision taken by another government and several others even send students abroad with the intention of supporting illegal migration! Consider the case of an educational consultancy in Hyderabad that provided fake bank documents only to be later detected by the UK Home Office which eventually banned the involved students from even re-applying. Such is the severity of the repercussions faced due to illegal visa documentation and processes.

6. Documentation Fraud

Almost 50+ Indian students were debarred from certain universities in Canada as they had sent identical SOPs written by an educational consultant in Delhi. Such corrupt practices are rampant in India and can be detrimental not just to the applicant's academic future but even to their career prospects. Fraudulent documentation practices, plagiarized SOP and personal statements, and fake academic transcripts, all in the name of securing admission at top-tier colleges abroad, can easily cause students to lose their dreams of studying abroad.

7. Inaccurate Information About Study Abroad Destinations

The Indian study abroad market is very competitive and profit-driven; in this challenging space, to make more cash, deceitful consultants often resort to lying or spreading inaccurate information about various countries and universities just so that they can get more commission. Therefore, it is always important to check the accreditation of the university on officially recognized platforms before eventually committing to them.

As educational consultants and counsellors, it is our responsibility to ensure that we practice transparency and enable ethical practices to be carried out without endangering our students' profile especially when they have put their time, energy, and trust in us.