Fake universities blacklisted on Internet

China's education authority has issued a list of the country's 2,845 authorized institutions of higher learning, creating a buzz on the Internet and in social media among students who are due to take the national college entrance exam next month.

The 2,845 schools accredited by the Ministry of Education include 447 private, seven jointly run by Chinese and foreign universities, and 292 colleges for lifelong learning. Most Chinese institutions of higher learning are public.

The ministry issues the list every year, partly in an effort to alert the public of unauthorized "diploma mills" that are still seen in a lot of places despite repeated bans.