Ghostwriters, forgery and ‘gifts’: the short cuts Chinese students take to get into foreign universities

Wealthy parents in China spend tens of thousands of dollars on admissions middlemen to get their children into world-class universities

But the practises that these ‘consultants’ promote, ranging from embellishing transcripts to bribing officials, are often far from ethical

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Students during a class at a boutique college consultancy in Beijing. Photo: AFP

Published: 1:15pm, 12 Aug 2019Updated: 10:45pm, 12 Aug 2019

From hiring ghostwriters and forging sports credentials to generous “gift-giving”, admissions middlemen in China are advising wealthy parents to take an array of “short cuts” to secure places at foreign universities.

The service comes with a hefty price tag, often running into tens of thousands of dollars, but nonetheless the industry is booming.

The lengths to which some are willing to go to were highlighted in the admissions scandal that shook US universities this year, where prosecutors found one Chinese family had given US$6.5 million to an admissions agent to get their daughter to Stanford, while another had coughed up US$1.2 million for entry to Yale.

The case saw dozens of people – including Hollywood stars and CEOs – plead guilty to using bribery to ensure places at prestigious schools, but education experts in China say it’s not unusual to advise such practise to families keen on foreign universities.

“In the admissions world, it’s called gift-giving instead of bribing. About US$10,000 is on the lower end of the spectrum. An average gift will be about US$250,000,” one former college counsellor revealed, on condition of anonymity.

Stanford University campus in California. Photo: AP