International students who cannot speak English or follow course material, and who cheat by using AI or ghostwriting services to complete assignments, are being awarded degrees by Australian universities, disgruntled academics say.
University staff and students told The Guardian Australia that foreign students, who now outnumber locals in many classes and courses, were able to graduate with master’s degrees from some of the country’s most prestigious institutions due to plummeting standards and endemic cheating.
One academic said it “broke my heart” to read essays they knew students could not have written while staff were pressured not to fail students, and said universities with once-high standards had devolved into “profit centres chasing enrolments and revenue”.
Another tutor at a top university said 80% of her classes were made up of international students, and that “most can’t speak, write or understand basic English”.
“They use translators or text capture to translate the lectures and tutorials, translation aids to read the literature and ChatGPT to generate ideas,” she said.
“It’s mind blowing that you can walk away with a master’s degree in a variety of subjects without being able to understand a sentence.”
Former lecturer in social work at Flinders University Dr Andrew Paterson said more than 50% of students in some master’s tutorials had problems with English, but said that when he failed students they would simply appeal and end up passing.
“They all went on to pass. I’d sit at graduation and think ‘how could that possibly have happened?'” he said.
“They’d failed academically, they’d failed placements, yet they received their parchment.”
“It’s a shambles, We’re pretending these students are serious, and they’re pretending they’re interested. It doesn’t make for a creative academic environment.”
A spokesperson for Flinders University said in response: “Flinders does not admit students into courses for which they are not qualified.”
A student doing a postgraduate course at a university in Melbourne admitted using ChatGTP to finish assignments, and said that 60% of her international students friends did the same, and that others bought copies of previously submitted assignments for AI to rewrite or paid ghostwriters.
“My first experience with ChatGPT was due to a group assignment where no one else contributed, so I had no choice but to get inspiration from genAI,” she said.
“I wish I didn’t have to, but having been traumatised and stuck, plus in a rush to get the 485 [temporary graduate] visa, I take any help to graduate as soon as possible.”
International students are required to pass an English language test unless they have completed previous studies in English, but the largest approved provider, IELTS, is owned by education and migration agent IDP Education, a $3.5 billion company which is 12% owned by 18 Australian universities.
There were 487,485 international students enrolled at universities in 2023, and the top eight schools in Australia all make more than 50% of their total revenue from international student fees.
At prestigious Sydney University about 47% of students are from overseas, the highest proportion in Australia, but those international students account for 78% of the student revenue.
