Avoiding 'Fake Degrees' - Finding Authentic Postgraduate Courses in the UK

Finding the right postgraduate course isn’t always as simple as applying directly to your chosen institution.

After all, there are many providers of postgraduate qualifications. Most are genuine, trustworthy institutions, but how can you be sure?

If you’re an undergraduate – or an international student – making sense of UK postgraduate study for the first time, you want to know the courses you’re considering are genuine and worthwhile.

Well, that’s where we come in!

If you’re currently looking for the perfect Masters, PhD or even a professional qualification, there are some simple ways to confirm your course is an authentic one.

This blog will provide tips on finding certified providers, and how to be wary of false advertising.

UK degree providers are generally split into two categories: ‘recognised’ and ‘listed’ bodies.

• Recognised bodies are institutions which can award degrees themselves.
• Listed bodies, on the other hand, cannot award degrees themselves. This means they have to get a recognised institution to award degrees on their behalf. These qualifications are still valid UK degrees.

Some of the newer, listed providers are only able to award degrees via older, recognised institutions.

The reason for this is simply that they haven’t been around for as long as older universities, and therefore don’t have the track record necessary to grant degrees in their own right.

Eventually, a listed provider can apply for its own ‘Degree Awarding Powers’ and become a recognised institution in its own right.

Upcoming UK higher education reforms may make this process easier for new institutions, but all providers will still be subject to careful quality control.

In the meantime, the important thing to know is that your UK postgraduate qualification will be authentic so long as your provider is recognised or listed.

You can check this on the UK Government website.

Both listed and recognised institutions can offer the same types of genuine postgraduate qualifications.

But, it’s important to know the kinds of qualifications you can actually attain.

As a postgraduate student, you will be undertaking programmes at either Level 7 or Level 8 of the UK’s Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications.

The level relates to the difficulty of the programme:

• Level 7 programmes typically include Masters degrees as well as Postgraduate Certificates and Diplomas.
• Level 8 programmes are typically PhDs, or other types of doctorate.

For a full list of qualification levels, head to the UK Government website.

Many postgraduate courses are also professionally accredited by different institutes and bodies.

Professional accreditation assures prospective employers that you are qualified to perform in a specialised field.

To check for genuine accrediting bodies, you can use the table provided by HESA (the Higher Education Statistics Agency).

In today’s modern world, it’s highly likely that part of your postgraduate search will take place online. This is particularly likely if you’re an international student, looking for a Masters or PhD in the UK.

It’s important not to be tricked by websites that appear to be advertising fake qualifications as legitimate courses.

Below are a few things to look out for to help you avoid suspect degrees:

If you think you can find your perfect course by bidding the best price, think again.

Though this might be obvious to most of you, clever sellers are very good at making listings look genuine.

They will often use an institution’s logo and other knacks such as providing precise contact information to try and trick you out.

Don’t fall for it!

Fraudsters will often use minor spelling mistakes to trick you into thinking a site is genuine.

For example, it could be as simple as spelling ‘Edinburgh’ as ‘Edinbrugh’ – notice the ‘r’ is in the wrong place.

You can double check the name of an institution by comparing it to that listed on the UK Government website.

If you’re an international student, it’s particularly important that you don’t get caught out by this.

If you’re unsure of the institution whose site you are viewing, double check any addresses they provide.

If you can’t find it on Google maps, there’s a good chance it doesn’t exist.

Again, you can double check these on the UK Government website.

All UK universities use the suffix ‘.ac.uk’ as part of their web domain name.

Some false advertisers will simply put ‘.ac’ – which might appear legitimate, but probably isn’t.

Many universities have taken steps to prevent fraudsters from tricking you out this way by registering both ‘.ac’ and ‘.ac.uk’ with their URL – meaning you should be redirected to a site using the full web address.

It is quite uncommon to be charged any kind of application fee at a UK university.

If there are any charges, they would normally accumulate to around £50 – a standard fee for admin processes.

If you’re asked to pay money upfront with the guarantee that you will receive your certificate straight away, it isn’t genuine.

Even if you decide to undertake a distance learning course, there is always a great deal of study involved.

For example, the average expected input for a full-time Masters is 150 hours in total.

If you’re offered a degree where you have to do next to nothing, it’s a fake.

You usually have to be 18 to begin a higher education programme – for postgraduate programmes, therefore, most students will be aged 21 and upwards when beginning their course.

If you are below this age and are being offered a postgraduate degree, double check the source.

It’s rare that you can be entered onto a programme below the average start age.

In most cases, you will not be able to pursue a postgraduate course without having first received a Bachelors degree

Aside from integrated Masters degrees, it is unusual to undertake a Masters or PhD course without having first graduated from an undergraduate course - and become a ‘postgraduate’ student.

So, if a supposed provider is offering you a postgraduate degree with no prior qualifications or experience necessary, question the source.