ELEVEN students were kicked out of the University of Reading for cheating in one academic year.

Figures obtained through a Reading Chronicle Freedom of Information request reveal the number of under-graduates and post-graduates caught using underhand tactics over the last five years.

In the 2012/13 academic year 11 students were stripped of their University membership – a punishment that typically follows gross academic misconduct such as substantial plagiarism, data falsification and systematic cheating in written exams.

While some of these students left with a degree, seven were thrown out with no formal qualification.

The same year saw 17 counts of plagiarism and 12 cases of cheating in exams.

Professor Gavin Brooks, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Teaching and Learning, said: “Academic misconduct is not acceptable under any circumstances. The University of Reading takes a tough approach to students caught cheating or plagiarising, and appropriate penalties are given.

“The vast majority of our students are honest and hard-working, but there will always be a minority who decide to take the easy route.

“As students have become more savvy to new ways of plagiarising, technology has had to become more sophisticated.

“Academic staff are equipped with online tools to deal with cases of academic misconduct and extra training and support means they are now better skilled at identifying plagiarism and cracking down on students caught cheating.”

From the 2012/13 academic year to date, only two people have been asked to leave the university for cheating.

In the same period 36 were caught plagiarising and 10 cheating in exams.