The admissions cycle rarely ends neatly. Teams move fast, deadlines compress, and the operational load climbs. That is also when risk tends to creep in. 

Today we’re sharing our Post-Cycle Fraud Report 2025, built from what Qualification Check has seen across our primary-source verification outcomes during the 2025 admissions cycle in the UK. It’s designed for international admissions and compliance teams who want a clearer picture of what’s changing, what’s holding steady, and where additional controls can have the biggest impact. 

Two takeaways (and three market to watch) 

Here are a couple of highlights from the report: 

• Late-cycle risk is not theoretical. The 2025 cycle shows a clear pattern of increased risk as the cycle closes, when decision windows tighten and teams are processing at pace. 

• Fraud is still showing up in ‘low-risk’ markets. 2025 data suggests attempted fraud is not confined to the routes teams typically flag as high risk, which strengthens the case for consistent baseline controls alongside targeted, market-specific approaches. 

• Three of the top ten markets moved in the wrong direction. Among the top applicant source markets analysed, fraud rose in Ghana, a timely reminder that risk can shift year to year and needs active monitoring. Find out the other two inside the report.  

What admissions teams can learn quickly (without adding friction) 

The report doesn’t just show trends, it’s focused on what teams can do with them: 

• where to tighten controls late in the cycle to reduce exposure at the highest-pressure point 

• how to standardise escalation and evidence capture so concerns don’t get lost across handovers 

• Where to deploy robust primary source checks 

Real-world examples: what to look for in your admissions processes 

We’ve also included two practical case studies drawn from real scenarios flagged by Team QC, showing how sophisticated attempts present in day-to-day workflows, and the simple red flags that can help teams spot issues earlier. 

Download the full report 

If you’d like the full detail, including the year-on-year comparison, country breakdowns, and the case study walkthroughs, you can download the full report here >