Kingston University has expelled ten students for cheating, plagiarism and other academic misconduct last year.

According to a Sun investigation, KU had the third largest number of cheats in the UK after Teesside University in Middlesbrough (17 students) and Middlesex university in London (15 students).

Nationwide, 160 students were “booted out of University” for the academic year 2008-2009, according to the Sun following its enquiry under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

 “With more than 23,000 students at the University, the number of expulsions represents a tiny proportion of those studying at Kingston”, said a KU spokesperson.

The fourth and fifth campuses on the league after KU are Sheffield University, with seven expulsions and University College London, which expelled six students last year.

With 27,954 students for 2009, Teesside University in Middlesbrough had the largest student population. All five universities are average to large.

Addressing the problem of cheating, a Kingston University spokesperson said: “The university takes cheating and plagiarism very seriously and will always take appropriate action should a student be found to have cheated.”

KU students can access a guide for academic misconduct procedures on the University website.