China

Approximately 100 universities of the 1000+ universities receive priority in the allocation of funds and are designated as "Project 211 Universities". Of these 100 universities, approximately 40 have been designated as "Project 985" -  a project by the government of the People's Republic of China for founding world class universities. These key universities accept only the best applicants who have been selected through rigorous national entrance examinations.

The Chinese Education System

During the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), all schools were closed. When institutions began to reopen in 1976, courses were reduced and curriculum was oriented towards labour practice, Communist ideology and community work. During this period, only diplomas were awarded. In 1982, universities were authorized to grant degrees. It is, therefore important to verify whether applicants indeed received a degree.

There are many Junior Colleges in China that offer 2 or 3 year non-degree tertiary programs. These programs are not acceptable for admission. If clarification is required, contact the DGS Admissions staff.

The academic year runs from September to July and is divided into two semesters.

There are an increasing number of cases of fraudulent documents being presented to institutions and it is becoming more difficult to assess documents received in support of applicants from China. The following is a summary of things to consider when you are assessing documents. If you have any doubt or concern about the authenticity of a transcript, degree certificate or reference letter, please forward the documentation to Graduate Studies so that we can verify them with the institution of origin prior to admission.

1. Translations

You should always receive documents in BOTH Chinese and English – often a student will only submit a translation that is done by the institution attended, but you should ask that the student submit the original Chinese document as well. All Chinese institutions will have a Chinese document and many of the larger institutions will also issue English translations. You should compare the grades, student ID numbers, signatures, seals, name of institution from both sets of documents.

A Degree Certificate will NEVER be issued with a combination of both English and Chinese on the same page. It is issued in Chinese only with the national logo of the People`s Republic of China. The Degree Certificate is the document which confirms the degree. You should always ask applicants to present the Degree Certificate. Look for the Chinese characters (学位证书) on the Degree Certificate.

2. Seals

Larger than normal seals should be questioned. State seals are the largest seal, and most institutions use the regular smaller sized seal of about 1 to 1 1/2 inches.

Seals should be in Chinese, not English.

Seals should be crisp, clear and easy to read. Seals that are blurred and indistinct may have been purchased to forge documents.

Seals are normally placed in the bottom right hand corner of a transcript.
 

3. Transcripts

Most transcripts, issued prior to 1990, were hand-written – computerized transcripts prior to 1990 may be forgeries.

Between 1985 and 1991 most institutions issued only one booklet containing the Graduation Certificate. Since 1992, Chinese institutions issued two booklets to students who have graduated with a degree. Therefore, students who have graduated after 1992 should have a graduate certificate and a degree certificate.

The Certificate of Completion is usually issued to students who have attended a one or two-year program or who have completed a four-year program but with grades that are too low to grant a degree. The Certificate of Completion does NOT confirm the granting of the degree.

You should never find a transcript where ONLY letter grades are given. Many transcripts will use a combination of letters and number grades and many will use number grades only. Verify transcripts that use only letter grades.

Verify transcripts which show ALL grades in the 90% range.
 

4. Notarized Copies

Do not accept copies of documents notarized by someone as being copies of the original – even if done by an embassy. You have no way of knowing if the person who notarized the copy knew how to verify that the document was an original.
 

5. Receipt of Documents

Documents should be received directly from the institution, or if received sealed, through the applicant, you should check the envelope and seals carefully. If there is doubt, contact Graduate Studies for assistance.

 If you are unsure about a document, another alternative is to have the applicant verify documents by contacting the address given below and requesting that the verification be sent directly to your department. There is a fee for the service but it is charged in Chinese currency and is not expensive.

Mailing Address:

The China Academic Degrees and Graduate Education Development Center B18, Tongfang Scientific Building
No.1 Wangzhuang Road, Haidian District
Beijing 100083 P.R. China

Contact Information:

Web: http://www.chinadegrees.cn/en/
Email: rzb@mail.cdgdc.edu.cn
Tel: (86)10-82379480
Fax: (86)10-82379491

Some key universities may also have websites to verify degrees of their graduates. Peking University has a website which provides online verification of their students graduated from 1981-2006. (http://dean.pku.edu.cn/certificate) However, this website is in Chinese only.