Recently, there has been circulating online news about individuals using fake educational backgrounds to enroll in master’s programs at the University of Hong Kong. According to posts on the mainland Chinese social platform “Xiaohongshu,” the HKU Faculty of Business and Economics conducted surprise checks on the academic credentials of some mainland Chinese master’s students this month, requesting the submission of official documents. Nearly 200 mainland Chinese students are suspected of providing false educational backgrounds. The university confirmed to the media on the 20th that they had discovered a very small number of cases involving the submission of fraudulent documents during the admission process and are currently conducting a comprehensive investigation.
Multiple posts on “Xiaohongshu” revealed that many master’s students who enrolled in the HKU Business School in September last year received an email from the university at the beginning of this month, requesting them to submit their undergraduate electronic transcripts and certificates by May 5th. These documents must be directly emailed by the official university where they completed their undergraduate studies as part of the “annual final check.”
The actions taken by HKU stem from previous incidents involving plagiarism among current master’s students and prior disciplinary issues, which led to the university’s requirement for the submission of undergraduate transcripts. One student failed to provide the required documents promptly, leading the university to initiate an investigation. Subsequently, it was revealed that some mainland Chinese students had used falsified transcripts to gain admission to HKU through intermediaries.
In response to media inquiries, the HKU Business School stated that they had found very few cases of admissions applicants submitting fraudulent documents. They also mentioned that there are intermediary agencies claiming to provide “guaranteed admission” services, forging admission documents for applicants. The university strongly condemns such behavior and has initiated a comprehensive investigation. If clear evidence is found, students involved will face disciplinary action, including the revocation of admission qualifications and cancellation of enrollment.
However, when questioned about further actions regarding the incident, HKU President Zhang Xiang did not provide a response following his attendance at the Greater Bay Area Science Forum on the 21st.
In a statement, the Education Bureau emphasized that universities receiving funding from the University Grants Committee have extensive experience in handling admission applications. They have rigorous procedures in place to assess applications from different educational backgrounds, selecting the most outstanding students, and do not tolerate dishonest or inappropriate behavior. Universities will take disciplinary action in cases of misconduct during the admission process and report suspected illegal activities to law enforcement agencies.
According to information on the HKU Business School website, they offer 8 master’s programs this year, with tuition fees ranging from $360,000 to $462,000.