The University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh has identified three fake foreign university branch campuses operating in the country and issued a warning to students against enrolling in them.

The universities are: America World University, USA; Trinity University, USA; and the Spiritual Institute of New York.

According to UGC, none of these universities have received approval from the government or the commission.

Dr. Shamsul Arefin, Director of the Public Relations and Publications Department at UGC, said that the matter came to light when Bangladesh Commerce Bank Limited applied to the commission to verify certificates of two students from America World University and Trinity University.

During the verification process, UGC discovered the operation of these unauthorized branch campuses.

“The list of proposed universities submitted by the ministry to the commission does not include any project under these names,” Dr. Arefin added.

UGC noted that various media reports indicate the presence of unapproved foreign university branches, tutorial centers, and study centers in Bangladesh.

Most of these institutions operate without authorization, offering bachelor, master, MPH, MBA, MPhil, and PhD degrees, which are entirely illegal under the law.

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Students are paying money to receive certificates from these unauthorized universities and many have been defrauded.

UGC has recently sent letters to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Education, and the Anti-Corruption Commission urging immediate action against these universities.

Dr. Shamsul Arefin emphasized the need for effective measures to prevent further student exploitation.