Monday, June 06, 2016

A 21st century business

The ability to take courses and tests on-line has sparked a new business - cheating. In most cases those giving the courses and tests really have no idea who is really at the computer. This provides an opportunity for companies to sit at the computer pretending to be students. Many companies in China do just that for people who want to enter a college in America. These companies game entrance exams, concoct college applications and complete college coursework on behalf of students. The market is there because the buyers, Chinese students, are pushed by their families and the culture to study overseas, and the sellers, U.S. colleges, profit from foreign students willing to pay full tuition.

The market is pretty big. About 761,000 degree-seeking foreign students now study in the United States, according to the Institute of International Education. A third come from China. Department of Commerce statistics show that Chinese students spent almost $10 billion on tuition and other goods and services in America in 2014.

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