Although many Americans complain about the price of higher education, in Russia the price tag for an advanced degree (Master’s, Ph.D., etc.) runs around $40,000—literally. Russian citizens have been purchasing fake diplomas for years with little to no consequences.
With the penalty for knowingly buying a fake diploma being a maximum $2600 fines and two years of “correctional labor,” coupled with the fact that employers seldom check the authenticity applicant’s diplomas, it is unlikely the fraud will cease anytime soon.
What’s more, companies that do try to verify candidates’ diplomas are often turned down because the information is “confidential.” Ironically, though, foreigners who apply for Russian work permits are required to produce apostilles that prove the authenticity of their diplomas.
Although the Russian government has promised for years to set up a database where employers could validate diplomas, little moves have been made to actually get the project off the ground. Unfortunately it seems the government is not concerned with how academic plagiarism has corrupted the education system and devalued the work of honest students.
With no immediate solutions on the horizon, the question remains: how will Russia be able to continue to modernize while so many leaders of industry—such as managers, engineers, economists, doctors, lawyers, bureaucrats, and politicians—hold fake credentials?