In connection with the mass cheating scandal surrounding the English proficiency test TOEIC, the University of Tsukuba in Ibaraki Prefecture, announced by December 4 that it had revoked the admission of one postgraduate student who had enrolled in April this year. The decision was made on November 28.
The university confirmed that TOEIC scores submitted as part of the entrance examination application had been invalidated due to fraudulent activity and decided on disciplinary action. According to the university, this is the first instance of an admission offer being revoked after enrollment since the university’s founding in 1973.
The mass exam cheating scandal came to light in May this year when the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, having received a consultation from the TOEIC administering body, arrested a Chinese national who was then a Kyoto University graduate student.
The arrested postgraduate student entered the examination venue under a false name, concealed a miniature microphone within his facemask, and wore smart glasses with communication capabilities. There is a possibility he intended to facilitate collective cheating.
TOEIC announced its policy in July to invalidate the scores of examinees found to have engaged in misconduct. Following this, the University of Tsukuba requested the administering body to conduct a verification investigation. As a result, it was confirmed that the score of one postgraduate student who had been admitted was invalidated.
