CHINA

Education Ministry Boosts Scrutiny of Dodgy Overseas Degrees

Published: May. 8, 2025 6:06 p.m. GMT+8

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Foreign degree certification by the education ministry is a critical step for overseas-educated Chinese students in seeking employment, residency permits in major cities or access to other post-study benefits in China. Photo: AI generated

The Ministry of Education has added two more overseas institutions to its list of schools subject to extra scrutiny, amid growing concern over fraudulent courses and degree mills.

Between July 2024 and this April, the ministry’s Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE) — responsible for certifying degrees earned outside the mainland — issued three public notices announcing “strengthened reviews” of a total of 28 foreign institutions. It cited abnormal certification data and repeated public complaints as the basis for its action.

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China’s Ministry of Education has increased scrutiny on 28 overseas institutions since July 2024, citing abnormal data and complaints, with recent warnings against Groupe HEMA and EBS Paris.
Certificates from flagged institutions now take at least 60 working days to process, compared to 20 days for trusted schools, due to concerns over low standards and fraudulent “fast-track” degree programs.
CSCSE urges students to avoid high-risk institutions and warns that degrees gained entirely online post-spring 2023 may not be certified.

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Who’s Who

Groupe HEMA: According to the article, Groupe HEMA is one of two French institutions newly added by China’s Ministry of Education to a list of overseas schools subject to “strengthened reviews” due to concerns over fraudulent courses and degree mills. Degrees from Groupe HEMA will face extended certification processing times of at least 60 working days, and the institution is generally considered low-quality, which may negatively affect graduates’ career prospects and further study opportunities.

EBS Paris: EBS Paris is one of two French institutions recently added to the Chinese Ministry of Education's list of overseas schools subject to extra scrutiny, due to concerns about abnormal certification data and repeated complaints. Degrees from EBS Paris will now face a strengthened review process by the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE), requiring at least 60 working days for certification, and may negatively affect students’ career prospects if valid documentation is not provided.

Beijing Zhongjiao Anxue Education & Technology Co. Ltd.: Beijing Zhongjiao Anxue Education & Technology Co. Ltd. is described as an international educational service network. Its founder, Hu Benwei, commented that overseas institutions may trigger enhanced reviews due to reasons such as lowered admission standards, shifts to online instruction, and inconsistent exam or graduation procedures, which can jeopardize students’ degree certification prospects.

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