Question:

There is a UK based company that assists Chinese students in taking admission to the universities in UK. The company prepares all the documents, including VISA, CVs, Personal Statement for student based on the university requirement and other documentation.

I am working with this company to write personal statement on behalf of students which are applying in the universities and get paid against it. I want to know that is there any thing wrong in it from Islamic point of view.

Answer:

Bismillahi Taʿālā

Assalāmu ʿalaykum waraḥmatullāhī wabrakātuh,

In general, such an agency where you act on behalf of the student to apply for UK-based universities is permissible. It is also acceptable for you to charge for the services you may provide these foreign students. However, at the same time, since I am not completely aware of the under-the-hood workings of such an agency, I would request you to have further correspondence with me and detail out what you perceive as a problem in your work.

In the limited understanding of what you have mentioned, if the “personal statement” you are writing on behalf of the student is something which the University uses to determine the aptitude and standing of the student, then it may pose an ethical as well as a legal issue. The university scopes out an individual who will be a good fit for their institute. For this, they may be looking at a specific level of scholastic aptitude in imagination, comprehension and writing skills. In such a case you may be misrepresenting your foreign client to the University. This would be un-islamic.

However, if your assistance is merely on the level of being an intermediary who knows the system and guides the foreign client in submission of the applications in the best way possible, while retaining the integrity and credibility, then that would be permissible.

And Allāh Taʿālā Knows best,

Wassalamu ʿalaykum,

Mufti Faisal al-Mahmudi