Why Quality and Honesty Matter in Education

In today’s education system, universities are often judged by numbers—how many students they have, how small the classes are, how good the teachers are, and where they rank in global lists. But what happens when those numbers are wrong?

This is exactly what happened at Columbia University, one of the top universities in the United States. The university shared incorrect information to make itself look better in rankings. When the truth came out, it caused a serious scandal that shook trust in higher education. This article explains what happened and why transparency, honesty, and quality assurance are more important now than ever.

What Went Wrong?

Columbia University was accused of giving false data about:

How many of its classes were small
How many full-time professors it had
How qualified its teachers were

All this information helped Columbia appear near the top of world university rankings. But in 2022, one of Columbia’s own professors discovered the numbers were not correct. This led to public criticism, legal action, and loss of trust.

In 2023, Columbia agreed to pay $9 million to settle a lawsuit brought by students who said they were misled by the false data.

Why This Is Important

Universities are responsible for telling the truth about their programs, faculty, and student experience. When they report wrong information:

Students may choose a school for the wrong reasons
Other universities that are honest may be unfairly compared
The whole education system loses trust

Especially in international education, students often rely on public data to choose where to study. If that data is false, the damage is not just to one university—it affects the whole system.

How Other Universities Reacted

After the Columbia scandal, other top universities took action:

Some stopped sending data to rankings completely
Others started reviewing their own reporting policies
Many called for better, fairer ways to measure educational quality

This shows that even well-known universities now understand that honesty matters more than image.

What Can We Learn?

1. Be Honest in All Data

Universities should always give accurate information about their programs, class sizes, tuition, and faculty. This helps students make smart decisions and builds trust.

2. Use Independent Audits

Just like companies have external audits, schools should also have their data reviewed by outside experts. This ensures the numbers are real and reliable.

3. Train Staff in Ethics

Everyone who works on student information, marketing, or rankings should be trained to follow ethical rules. Mistakes or exaggerations can damage the whole school’s name.

4. Focus on What Matters Most

Instead of chasing rankings, schools should focus on real quality: good teachers, happy students, strong careers, and personal development.

Why This Matters for Switzerland and Europe

In Switzerland and across Europe, education is known for quality, trust, and good standards. But even here, schools must be careful. Private institutions, business schools, and online programs all need strong internal systems to check their data and performance.

This is where quality assurance organizations—like GQA and its partners—play an important role. They help make sure that schools are doing the right thing, following clear rules, and putting students first.

A Message to All Institutions

The Columbia scandal teaches us that trust takes years to build but can be lost in a moment. For universities and training centers everywhere, especially in a digital world, quality must not only be promised—it must be proven.

Schools that are open, honest, and transparent will always stand out—for the right reasons.