Where I went to university, plagiarism would result in suspension or expelling, not just failing the class. There were always a few cases a year, and that info was always published so everyone at the university got to know when it happened. I went to an engineering university so the amount of papers to write was pretty light, but even if you managed to avoid courses with it, you couldn't avoid the news about it. It was just very strongly drilled into everyone that plagiarising is something you Do Not Do.