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110 offices selling forged degrees from non-Saudi universities have been identified by the Ministry of Higher Education. Prices for a fake bachelor’s or master’s degree can cost anywhere from SR3,000 to SR30,000 while a bogus doctorate can cost up to SR90,000 from an institution in the west. The degrees supplied by these diploma mills are issued by institutions that offer courses without approved standards or are simply issued by the transfer of money into an overseas account. Measures have been taken to detect such agencies.

Academic corruption exists in doctoral education even though this should reflect the highest standards of academic integrity. Doctoral degrees have become especially popular among politicians, state bureaucrats, civil servants and people seeking employment in academia. An entire market has formed in Ukraine that offers ghostwritten dissertations to order. This market consists of not only individuals but also officially registered firms. If in 2009, there were 16 such firms, by 2016 the number tripled, reaching 46.

Academics in Algeria are concerned about the practice of ordering and paying for ready-made theses that are growing among students at all levels, including masters and Ph.D. The amount of money requested by the “institution” ranges between DZD50, 000 (US$420) and DZD200, 000 (US$1,670) depending on the quality of service, educational level, and the period taken to deliver the requested thesis.

Several politicians are accused of ‘misleading voters’ during elections last year and for having fake or questionable academic qualifications. Deputy Foreign Minister’s academic credentials were the first to be called into question. After a police report, he admitted the unaccredited Cambridge International University in the United States granted his degree, which some have claimed was a diploma mill.

Counterfeiting or purchasing of downright forged certificates, diplomas and degrees are some of the crudest forms of academic fraud in Zimbabwe. Experts say the employment of individuals with bogus credentials can be a public relations fiasco for both private companies and government. According to the Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (ZIMSEC) spokesperson, the examinations body has been working with employers nationwide to verify academic credentials, uncovering a shocking number of workers with forged school and college certificates.

The Monterrey Institute of Technology has been investigated for issuing fake diplomas. The Institute denies the accusations and explains that the paper and signatures used on the fake diplomas do not match their official documents. 

Apparently, degrees from Aberdeen University and Robert Gordon University can be obtained for as little as £200, complete with university emblems and gold seals. It has emerged that copies of RGU degrees even contained faked signatures. Other institutions being targeted include St Andrews University, Glasgow University, and Edinburgh University. The information has come to light after a Sunday newspaper claimed that one website sold over 3,000 fake qualifications from various education establishments to UK-based buyers between 2013 and 2014. These included degrees, doctorates, and PhDs.

In Spain, there are instances where individuals pay to obtain fake diplomas. A team of investigators contacted a company specializing in selling fake diplomas to find out how it works. This makes it easy to become a primary school teacher.

Diploma mills have been on the United States radar screen as far back as 1876. Today, credential fraud in higher education is a billion-dollar industry, by some accounts. It has spiralled into a major threat for employers and university admissions offices. And it spans the globe. The United States is home to the largest number of diploma mills, with more than 1,000 known operations in 2011, according to Verifile, a UK-based pre-employment screening company.