Five universities in the United States agreed to settle a lawsuit accusing them of colluding on financial aid and admissions violations, according to new court filings. Yale, Columbia, Duke, Brown and Emory universities will pay a combined US$104.5 million to settle their portions of the case, which was brought by five former students against more than a dozen schools. The suit alleges the universities violated antitrust law when they ignored their pledge to not weigh a student’s ability to pay tuition fees when considering whether or not to accept, a practice referred to as ‘need-blind’ admission.

20 Massey University students allegedly caught using ChatGPT to cheat have claimed amnesty in exchange for their confessions. The teaching team offered an amnesty deadline and those who resubmitted their work would receive a maximum mark of 50%. For those who didn’t, a confirmed breach can result in a mark of zero for the assessment or a failure for the whole course.

The central figure in the scam in which wealthy parents paid huge sums to cheat on standardised tests has been sentenced to three and a half years in Federal prison. The mastermind of the sprawling college admissions scam known as Operation Varsity Blues pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, money laundering, and conspiracy

The new Globethics.net University Ranking (GUR) will provide a unique global ranking instrument that places values, ethics, and sustainability as central principles of higher education institutions worldwide. It encompasses a new higher education framework to assess student learning experience, and key stakeholders on integrity, values-driven leadership, and sustainability commitment. Universidad de Santiago, a private institution in Cape Verde, received the highest overall score and gained the best marks for student sustainability and integrity.

African ghost-writer claims to have written hundreds of papers for New Zealand students while allegedly working for Eastern China-based academic essay writing service Assignment Joy. The anonymous whistle-blower alleges that some New Zealand students graduated without ever writing a single assignment. Urgent talks are ongoing between New Zealand universities and the Government to follow Australia’s move, outlaw cheating websites and block them from local access.

In February, Columbia Mathematics Professor questioned the Ivy League school’s rise in rankings in the U.S. News & World Report from 18th place, on its debut in 1988, to 2nd place in 2021. In response, Columbia University will refrain from submitting data for consideration in the publication’s 2022, and it will start participating in the Common Data Set Initiative, a collaborative effort among data providers in the higher education community and publishers to provide accurate information to students seeking information on institutions of higher education.

30 Chemistry Honors students were penalized for cheating when members of the class leaked photos of the answers for a unit test through a group text message. While the teacher was proctoring this early test, a student from the other room took a picture of a completed test sitting on the teacher’s desk. He then started to sell the test to other students for $5. According to the Paly Student Handbook, altering returned tests or stealing exams includes suspension and possible expulsion.

A study by The Center for Academic Integrity reveals that 80% of college students today admit to having cheated in some way at least once. To track down plagiarism in students’ work, professors use online plagiarism scanning tools, like Turnitin. At Huntington University, punishment for students who commit plagiarism varies by the professor, ranging from failure of the assignment plagiarized to the entire course. However, 7 out of 10 students questioned the accuracy of tools like Turnitin stating that professors should do backup checks before grading.

A former Yale School of Medicine finance director and administrator pleaded guilty to wire fraud and false tax returns over a nine year period. She ran an illegal business that involved the bulk purchase and resale of computers and electronic devices for a total of $40 million in losses for the university. Since the incident, the university has worked to identify and correct gaps in its internal financial controls.

17 medical students at the Geisel School of Medicine were accused of cheating during online exams. The school found evidence of the students who logged into the online course platform Canvas, giving them access to the answers. After an investigation, seven of the cases were dismissed, while the other ten students were expelled, suspended, or giving a failing grade for the course. Some also received unprofessional conduct marks on their records.