Fake Students Disrupt California Colleges, Block Real Learners

Have you ever tried signing up for a class, only to find it mysteriously full before you even had a chance? Imagine being a student in California’s community colleges right now, where this frustration isn’t just a glitch—it’s a calculated scam. Fraudulent enrollments, driven by sophisticated bots and shady actors, have surged, clogging up systems, stealing financial aid, and leaving real students locked out of their education. It’s a mess that’s been brewing since the shift to online learning, and it’s shaking the very foundation of affordable higher education.

The Rise of Fake Students in Community Colleges

The problem of fake students isn’t just a minor annoyance—it’s a full-blown crisis. Last year alone, nearly 30 percent of new applicants to California’s community colleges weren’t real people but bots or fraudulent accounts, totaling a staggering 1.2 million fake applications. This wave of deception has hit at least 90 of the state’s 116 campuses, creating chaos for administrators, faculty, and, most importantly, students who are just trying to get an education.

Why is this happening now? The shift to online education, which exploded during the pandemic, opened the door wide for scammers. Before, in-person classes made it harder for fraudsters to slip through the cracks—you had to show up, after all. But with 80 percent of courses now online, anyone with an internet connection, from anywhere in the world, can pose as a student. It’s like leaving your front door unlocked in a neighborhood of tech-savvy thieves.

It’s unlike anything I’ve seen in decades of working in education. The scale of this fraud is massive, affecting nearly every campus.

– A community college chancellor

How Fraudsters Operate: A Deceptively Simple Scheme

The mechanics of this scam are both clever and infuriating. Fraudsters, often operating from outside the U.S., use automated bots to flood college systems with fake applications. These fake students target courses with no prerequisites—like introductory business or anthropology—because they’re easier to slip into unnoticed. Once enrolled, they either do nothing (ghosting the class entirely) or use AI tools to submit eerily identical assignments, raising red flags for instructors.

Here’s where it gets uglier: many of these scammers are after financial aid. So-called “Pell runners” enroll, collect up to $7,400 in federal Pell Grants, and then vanish, leaving colleges and taxpayers footing the bill. Others harvest personal data, like Social Security numbers, for identity theft. The result? A system under siege, with real students paying the price.

• Pell Grant theft: Scammers pocket thousands in federal aid before disappearing.
• Identity theft: Fake applicants steal personal data for malicious use.
• Course clogging: Bots fill class slots, blocking real students.

The Human Cost: Students and Faculty Suffer

Picture this: you’re a student who’s worked hard to qualify for a community college course that’s your ticket to a degree or a better job. You log in to register, only to find the class is full—taken up by bots that don’t even exist. This isn’t a hypothetical; it’s happening across California. Students are being denied access to critical courses, delaying their graduations, certifications, or transfers to four-year universities. It’s heartbreaking to think of the dreams put on hold because of this fraud.

Faculty aren’t spared either. Imagine preparing to teach a class, only to find that most of your “students” are ghosts. At one college, an anthropology course kept raising its enrollment cap by 30 students a day, only for bots to instantly fill the spots. By the time the fakes were weeded out, only 12 to 15 real students remained. Faculty morale is tanking as classes shrink to single digits, yet colleges must keep these courses running to help the few genuine students enrolled.

I’ve seen students’ faces fall when they can’t get into the classes they need. It’s devastating for them and for us as educators.

– A college president

This creates a ripple effect. Small classes are costly to run, straining budgets already stretched thin. Yet canceling them would hurt real students even more. It’s a lose-lose situation, and the frustration is palpable.

The Financial Toll: Millions Lost to Fraud

The financial hit is staggering. California’s community colleges rely on enrollment numbers to secure state funding, but fake students don’t count. When colleges remove these fraudulent enrollments—sometimes cutting 10,000 to 12,000 spots per campus—they can lose up to 23 percent of their revenue. That’s money that could have gone to hiring faculty, upgrading facilities, or supporting students.

Then there’s the direct theft. In 2024 alone, scammers siphoned off $8.4 million in federal aid and $2.7 million in state aid. Since 2021, losses have topped $18 million. These aren’t just numbers—they represent resources stolen from students who rely on community colleges for affordable education.

Colleges are stuck in a bind: keep fake students on the rolls and risk audits, or remove them and take a financial hit. Most choose the latter, but it’s a painful decision.

Fighting Back with Technology: The AI Solution

Here’s where things get hopeful. Colleges aren’t just sitting back and taking the hit—they’re fighting fire with fire. A new AI tool, originally designed to predict course demand, has been repurposed to catch fraudsters in the act. This platform, adopted by 80 campuses statewide, analyzes applications for red flags like shared phone numbers, suspicious IP addresses, or odd course-taking patterns. At one college, it flagged 360,000 fake applicants out of 3 million, with a 99 percent accuracy rate.

I have to say, there’s something satisfying about using AI to outsmart the scammers who rely on it. The tool works in three stages: catching fakes at the application stage, during registration, and before financial aid is disbursed. By cross-referencing data with student systems and blacklists, it’s freed up thousands of seats for real students—7,500 at one campus alone.

1. Application screening: Flags suspicious patterns like multiple applications from one IP address.
2. Registration monitoring: Detects non-engaged “students” or identical submissions.
3. Financial aid protection: Blocks payouts to fraudulent accounts.

One art professor was thrilled to finally have a “clean roster” of real students. But the system isn’t perfect. It requires tech-savvy staff, and community colleges struggle to compete with private-sector salaries. Plus, fraudsters are adapting, using generative AI to mimic real students more convincingly. It’s a cat-and-mouse game, but for now, the colleges are holding their own.

The Bigger Picture: Online Education at Risk

Why does this matter so much? Community colleges are a lifeline for millions, especially working adults who rely on online education to juggle jobs, families, and studies. These schools serve 1.8 million students annually, offering low-cost paths to degrees and careers. But fraud threatens to undermine this mission. If colleges can’t secure their systems, they risk losing funding, trust, and the ability to serve their communities.

There’s also a moral angle. As one administrator put it, colleges have a duty to protect taxpayer dollars and ensure access for real students. I can’t help but agree—there’s something deeply wrong about scammers profiting while students struggle. But the solution isn’t simple. A proposed $10 application fee could deter fraud but might also burden vulnerable students, like the homeless or undocumented, who already face barriers.

We’re public servants. It’s our job to protect the system and the students who depend on it.

– A college official

What’s Next? A Call for Action

So, where do we go from here? California’s community colleges are at a crossroads. They need more funding to hire tech staff, upgrade systems, and keep pace with fraudsters. A 2025 state audit is digging into the issue, and its findings could shape future budgets. But money alone won’t fix this. Colleges need to rethink how they verify students without shutting out those who need access most.

In my view, the real challenge is balancing security with accessibility. Online education is here to stay—it’s a game-changer for working adults and nontraditional students. But if we don’t get a handle on fraud, we risk losing the trust that makes these programs possible. It’s like building a house on a shaky foundation—sooner or later, it’s going to crack.

Fraud Prevention Model:
  50% Advanced Technology
  30% Staff Training
  20% Policy Reform

The fight against fake students is far from over, but there’s hope. With tools like AI detection and a renewed focus on protecting students, California’s community colleges can reclaim their mission. For now, though, the battle continues—one application, one class, one real student at a time.

What do you think? Have you or someone you know been affected by enrollment issues at a community college? The stakes are high, and the solutions aren’t easy—but they’re worth fighting for.