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Another case of “fake diplomas” was discovered at the University of Lyon. The commercialization of fake diplomas is exploding, whether in Chinese or Anglo-Saxon universities or on the Web where anything can be bought. After Toulon in 2009, where Chinese students of the University Institute of Business Administration had purchased their diplomas, in Lyon this year the University is suspected of having granted degrees in communication to dozens of West Indians students who had never set foot in the city.

According to the President of a University in Perpignan in the department of the Pyrénées-Orientales which has the third highest rate of unemployment in France: "These bogus students have always existed but in the past three years, they are on the increase, partly due to youth unemployment and a lack of financial support for the transition period between school and work ...".

A few years ago, not many companies recognized the problem of false diplomas. According to a study published in February 2013, 75% of CVs are fake, 90% of the candidates justify doctoring a CV due to the fact that "competition is tougher" and that "one has to sell well." The study has also revealed that 33% of candidates often or always have false diplomas.

The financial management of the elite Institute of Political Studies in Paris has been strongly criticized in an official report that found evidence of exorbitant bonuses, absence of controls and waste of public funds. The report revealed a chaotic management that consisted more of "little deals between friends than a serious administration of public funds".

A third of French universities are "illegally" charging students for services that should be covered by statutory fees, claims Unef, France's biggest student union.

According to teacher estimates, 20% of assignments are copied and pasted from other sources. Anti-plagiarism charters should be systematically signed by both universities and students, but nothing can beat the eagle eye of the lecturer.

Students, lecturers: who are the plagiarists? Has the Internet revolutionized cheating? How can we combat this phenomenon, which over the last five years has taken on exponential dimensions.

Some 70.5% of French pupils admit to having cheated in school, according to a study on exam fraud conducted among 1,815 students in French multidisciplinary universities.

The alleged peddling of diplomas to Chinese students has puzzled the universities implicated, which are now concerned over the effect of aspersions on the international renown of French tertiary training. Two inquiries – one judicial and one administrative – were opened up following complaints alleging that deals were done in which Chinese students were awarded diplomas in exchange for large amounts of money.

Several hundred Chinese students enrolled at the Institut d'Administration des Entreprises (IAE) at Toulon University, are thought to have bought their degrees. The preliminary inquiry begun on 26 March into "bribery, bribe-taking, and fraud" is investigating practices thought to have started four years ago.