British universities aiming to cut costs and streamline their interview processes for international students are now facing an emerging threat: “deepfake” applicants.

Enroly, a software platform used by several universities to automate applications, recently uncovered a small number of candidates using deepfake technology to manipulate their online interviews—something it described as being “straight out of a sci-fi film.”

Deepfake technology uses AI-generated images and audio to alter faces and voices, enabling applicants to enhance their fluency, modify their accent, or even have someone else answer on their behalf.

While the number of cases remains small—only around 30 out of 20,000 interviews in this year’s January intake—Enroly warns that this marks the beginning of what it calls “the future of fraud.”

Phoebe O’Donnell, Enroly’s head of services, highlighted the challenge in a blog post, calling deepfakes “the stuff of nightmares for interview assessors—fake faces layered over real ones, complete with expressions and movements.”

“It’s like something out of a spy film. And yes, they’re incredibly hard to detect. But hard isn’t impossible. Thanks to real-time tech and a few clever tricks up our sleeves, we’ve already stopped several attempts,” she said.

Enroly emphasized that while deepfake usage remains a small but growing trend, it is committed to staying ahead of the threat and working closely with its partners and the broader higher education sector.

Last year, the chief executive of WPP, the world’s largest advertising group, fell victim to a sophisticated deepfake scam involving an AI-generated voice clone and a manipulated video of him appearing on a conference call.

According to Phoebe O’Donnell, Enroly’s analysts uncovered “outright deception” in 1.3% of the 20,000 interviews conducted, with deepfakes accounting for just 0.15%. More traditional forms of fraud—such as impersonation, lip-syncing, or off-camera third-party assistance—were far more common.

To combat fraud, Enroly employs multiple verification methods, including facial recognition and passport matching.

Many UK universities have adopted automated online interviews and questionnaires to screen international applicants, particularly before issuing the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) certificate required for a UK student visa.

These automated interviews allow applicants to record responses to randomly selected questions on an online platform, with university admissions staff reviewing the recordings. Suspicious or unsatisfactory responses can trigger further scrutiny, including a live interview with the candidate.

Careful vetting of international applicants is crucial for UK universities, as they risk losing their licence to sponsor students through UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) if more than 10% of their sponsored applicants are rejected by the Home Office in a year.

Automated interviews help assess applicants’ communication skills and English proficiency in significantly less time than live online interviews, making the process more efficient for universities.