Education ministry warns against 'college application consultants' scams

The Ministry of Education has issued a warning that expensive "college application consultants" are a scam and that no such professional qualification has ever been authorized by any official agency.

As results of the national college entrance exam, or gaokao, are released across the country, the ministry cautioned students and parents against agencies that charge thousands or even tens of thousands of yuan for supposed insider knowledge and guaranteed admissions.

According to the ministry's fraud alert, some organizations promote themselves as "college application management centers" or claim to have "university partnerships". They fabricate "admission rates" using publicly available data, boast of possessing internal admissions databases from exam authorities, promise one-on-one guidance from veteran admissions officers and vow to secure places at public undergraduate institutions without wasting a single point.

The alert also noted that many such agencies display certificates for gaokao application consultants to lure families into purchasing their services.

The relevant authorities have never issued any vocational qualification certificate for college application planners, the ministry stressed.

It further clarified that, before the application season, provincial admissions authorities release official statistics on gaokao scores, historical admissions data and university enrollment policies. "There is no such thing as 'internal information' or 'internal data'," the ministry said.

During the 2026 application period, the ministry's university planning information service system and all 31 provincial-level admissions authorities will provide free reference services, while schools will offer both online and offline counseling.

The ministry urged families to rely only on official channels and make independent, rational choices based on their own circumstances.