Imagine you – or one of your admissions officers or colleagues – is reviewing a promising international applicant. Their application forms are complete, the supporting documents appear to be in order, and the English language certificate looks valid. Everything seems fine.

Until months later, problems surface at the border, or even worse, in the classroom. The student struggles with their English language capability, questions arise about whether their qualifications were genuine, and by then it is too late. Your university has already issued a CAS, welcomed the student, and taken on risks to its reputation and sponsor licence that could have been prevented. 

In my role as Head of Global Accounts at Qualification Check, I speak with admissions teams and sector leaders who share similar stories. They describe how issues with English language verification can remain hidden until after enrolment, at which point the risks become far harder to manage. 

The Weak Spots in Current Processes 

For most institutions, the verification journey looks something like this: 

• Students upload scanned copies of English language certificates into a portal. 

• Admissions staff manually check these documents against the university’s English language entry criteria. 

• Staff log into test provider websites to confirm results. 

• A note is added to the student record for CAS purposes. 

Although this process feels thorough, it’s both time-consuming and leaves gaps. There is often no alert system for newly uploaded documents which means delays and missed reviews. Some applicants forget to upload evidence until late in the cycle which creates pressure on staff. Manual review increases the risk of human error. Most importantly, the process does not confirm that the applicant who submitted the certificate is the same individual who sat the test. Fraudulent or altered results can slip through, sometimes only detected after the student is in the classroom, or has absconded or never enrolled. 

When these gaps align, the impact is clear: wasted administrative effort, weaker applicant experience, and the possibility of compliance failures that undermine tightening BCA performance metrics. 

Why the Risks Are Rising 

Research from Cambridge University and the British Council has shown that stronger English language entry requirements are linked to better academic outcomes. At the same time, universities are beginning to encounter new types of fraud. Reports of ‘deepfake’ applicants using AI-generated identities to attempt interviews are an example of how quickly risks are evolving. 

In other words, the problem is not just fake certificates. It is the combination of authenticity and identity. Without both, the system remains vulnerable. 

Moving Toward Better Practice 

Universities are increasingly looking for ways to bring both sides of the verification challenge together. That means confirming that a qualification result is genuine and also that the person who earned it is the same person applying to study. This shift reduces reliance on manual checks, improves the applicant journey, and strengthens UKVI compliance. 

This is where QC’s Admissions Plus comes in. The solution combines primary-source verification of English language qualifications with secure digital identity checks. It supports verification across multiple test providers, generates ready-to-use reports for admissions systems, and stores evidence securely for CAS. The aim is not to add another layer of complexity but to make verification both more robust and more efficient. 

The Bigger Picture 

The sector is under more scrutiny than ever before. Regulators, students, and employers all expect universities to demonstrate rigour in their admissions processes. Getting English language verification right is about more than protecting institutional reputation. It is about safeguarding compliance, protecting the student journey, and maintaining trust in UK higher education.