CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — An academic fraud investigation at the University of North Carolina has found that more than 3,100 students were involved in a “shadow curriculum” that occurred over nearly two decades.
The investigation reveals a wider scope of academic fraud than previous probes by the school and the NCAA. The investigation found that the students — nearly half of them athletes — took classes that they didn’t have to show up for and required only a research paper that was often given an A or B regardless of the quality of work.
Former U.S. Justice Department official Kenneth Wainstein released his findings Wednesday.
The NCAA reopened an academic-misconduct probe at UNC in June because new information was available. The new investigation said it was done in cooperation with the NCAA.