Students and their parents consult on studying abroad with education agencies in Shenyang, Liaoning Province in 2009. Photo: CFP

Han Yiwei felt relieved when he spotted the University of the Arts, London (UAL) on the long name list of China's Ministry of Education (MOE).

"It's good to see its name, which makes me feel legal and safe now. I heard it was unaccredited [by the ministry], which would mean that I was applying for a bogus university in others' eyes," Han said.

Han's dream university was among the other 10,000 overseas colleges and universities in 44 countries, such as the US, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. But his case highlights the confusion many Chinese people feel in dealing with the complexities of foreign institutions.

Within the UK, there's no doubt that UAL is a respectable university. But because it's a collegial university made up of several different bodies, it can be hard for prospective students, and perhaps even administrators at the MOE, to recognize.

The purpose of the white list is to prevent students from being cheated by bogus institutions overseas, as some unaccredited education bodies have poor standards.

Many count on the name list to safeguard Chinese students, while experts warned that the grey academies survive on traditional thinking about job recruitment and some people's reliance on shortcuts to success.

Worldwide traps

Diploma mill problem has been widely discussed, especially after the release of the report "Diploma and Accreditation Mills: New Trends in Credential Abuse" co-authored by Eyal Ben Cohen and Rachel Winch of Verifile Limited, one of the leading UK background screening firms in 2011.

"The US continues to hold the title of most popular location for diploma mill providers; 1,008 are known to have operated or currently operate from the country, an increase of 198, or 20 percent," read the report, adding that California tops the other US states in the number of mills.

In 2012, a bogus university was found in North Dakota, which has granted diplomas to 410 students since 2003. Only 10 have finished their courses and 95 percent of the others, who are not qualified for the diploma, came from China, says the Annual Report on the Development of China's Study Abroad, issued last year by the Center for China and Globalization (CCG).

A total of 92,578 returnees had their diplomas accredited by November 2013, while more than 350,000 students returned after graduation overseas last year, reported the People's Daily.

Cohen told the Global Times via e-mail that there may be two factors that push Chinese students into diploma mills: The basic drive parents have to better their children's education and success that is deeply rooted in Chinese culture, and the common belief among Chinese that Western education is superior.

"Many Chinese immigrating to the West may consider that they will improve their chances of success if they can prove that they have a Western education," Cohen said. "We also have to remember that one in three people in the world is either Chinese or Indian and certainly these two communities are buying degrees from fake institutions more than any other culture."

Wu Xiaoliang, founder of the Beijing-based Wulaoshi TOEFL tutorial agency, told the Global Times that usually bogus schools include words in their name such as 'national' or 'state' to attract students, while some play hide-and-seek with the Chinese translation. "Washington University and the University of Washington share the same Chinese translation, which could easily fool people."

Hooking victims

Three types of students are most likely to enroll in those bogus colleges or universities, according to the CCG report.

Students with little knowledge of overseas studies may fall victim to the misleading agencies. Diploma mills can also offer hope for students with no intention or ability to pursue higher education. And finally, some willingly pay for the sake of their career.

"While some need a certificate for their competitiveness in the job market, some celebrities may see a diploma as a feather on their cap," Zhang Weiyong, an overseas study consultant with the National Development and Reform Commission Training Center, told the Global Times.

Tang Jun, former president of Microsoft China and then considered a role model for the youngsters, was accused in 2010 of purchasing a fake doctoral degree from Pacific Western University, a diploma mill, for $3,000.

Zhang said that an unaccredited diploma would hinder the career development and stop graduates from enjoying the preferential policies targeting overseas returnees.

Agencies' role

An anonymous source close to agencies providing services for Chinese students who pursue overseas studies told the Global Times that most enrollments to bogus colleges and universities are organized by those agencies.

"They usually guarantee that they could help apply to whatever universities you want, while highly recommending application to some back-up schools, which are often bogus ones, to 'guarantee' your admittance."

Others highlighted that even respectable schools sometimes play a role in ripping students off. Another Beijing-based agent who asked to remain unnamed revealed that one could buy an MBA degree from offices in some cities as they allegedly cooperate with some top 100 universities from the US.

"You can count it as a pure purchase when you have to pay a large sum of money with barely any presence in any course," the agent said.

He Zhenqiao, founder of ukline.net, a London-based website about studying in the UK, said that many agents recommend the costly foundation courses when their clients could not meet the requirements of prestigious universities, as students could theoretically be enrolled in formal courses at those universities afterward.

"Some foundation courses are set up by enterprises in cooperation with well-known universities, where some lecturers teach language skills and basic knowledge in the related major," He said, adding that most participants are from China.

Another frequent suggestion is to apply to colleges of business management under the well-known universities, especially for those students who have a low grade. "The diploma is allegedly the same as if you graduated from the university, but some colleges are not well-recognized by companies," He said.

The UK tightly supervises universities, which must be highly qualified to offer courses longer than six months. There are also annual checks that include students' attendance rate.

As for the US, the authorization to operate and grant degrees is issued by the state, while associations of colleges and schools in six regions recognized by the Department of Education grant accreditation, according to Wang Huiyao, director of CCG.

"The MOE list may help tell fake universities from real ones, but it is the job market that gives credit to those diplomas. It requires global effort to drive bogus schools out of the academy with tighter regulation and punishment," Wang said.

"Meanwhile, our society should shift away from the belief that a diploma makes you more qualified than anyone else."