Uni 'guaranteed entry' agents operating in HK

Education agents which promise mainland students "guaranteed admission" to universities in Hong Kong are found to be operating in the city and their influence also extends to overseas institutes, The Standard has learned.

A local agent claimed it could arrange a university admission interview for a mainland student who wanted to study in Hong Kong, even after applications had closed.

That means not only mainland education consultants are offering "guaranteed admission" or special pathways to help mainlanders get into Hong Kong universities as reported in The Standard yesterday.

The consultants charge 800,000 yuan (HK$909,000) to 2 million yuan per student hoping to be admitted to the University of Hong Kong, Chinese University and University of Science and Technology by "internal referral" or forging academic results.

It turned out that several years ago, before the pandemic, a mainland secondary school student paid Hong Kong U-Charm International Education Consulting 8,000 yuan for interview coaching services, which are legal.

She went to the agent's Hong Kong office for two days to learn about interview skills and attend mock interview sessions.

After she received an offer from Baptist University's associate degree program, the agent said she could also go for an associate program at City University.

"Although the admission interview period at City University had ended, the agent told me they could arrange another interview if I wanted," she said.

"I didn't even file an application for the CityU program, but they could still arrange an interview for me, which was surprising."

The student did not go to the interview, but was told she could pay 60,000 yuan for a guaranteed admission to the university's undergraduate programs later.

U-Charm, a locally registered company owned and operated by mainlanders, is still in service. It has said it collaborated with local universities to host interview sessions solely for its clients.

The agent also offered one-stop packages costing over 100,000 yuan to help students with admissions and schoolwork until they graduated with a master's degree, and help students apply for overseas universities, the student told The Standard.

City University yesterday denied having any connection to U-Charm.

"The university solemnly declares that it has no relationship with [U-Charm] and reminds students who wish to study at CityU to apply through normal and formal channels," it said in reply to The Standard.

"CityU programs have been keenly sought after by both local and nonlocal students, including those from the mainland. Enrollment is highly competitive, and we admit students based on merit. The university also has limited quotas for nonlocal students."

Adverts for education agents claiming they can guarantee 100 percent admission rate to top universities in Hong Kong without any academic records have been posted on mainland social media.

An education consulting service provider in the city, which helps students polish their profile and file their university application through legitimate means, told The Standard that most of these agents use fake diplomas and academic results to file university applications for their clients.

She said some of the agents would forge an Ontario Secondary School Diploma granted to secondary school graduates in Ontario, Canada.

But universities now have become more cautious and will verify carefully if students hold an OSSD certificate amid so many fake ones, she added.

University of Hong Kong said yesterday on its website and WeChat account that "guaranteed admission" claims by agents to applicants without standard grades and scores for the International English Language Testing System or Test of English as a Foreign Language was impossible.

"These claims are totally unfounded and the university reserves the right to pursue legal action against those responsible," HKU said.

"HKU does not authorize any intermediary organizations to recruit or admit students in the mainland, nor does it have a so-called 'internal recommendation' mechanism for professors to recommend nonlocal students for admission," it said.

The Education Bureau said the University Grants Committee-funded universities enjoy autonomy in admissions.

They have "rigorous procedures and a wealth of experience in assessing the applications ... and do not tolerate any dishonesty or misconduct in the process," the bureau said.

wallis.wang@singtaonewscorp.com