Singapore’s top universities warn of China-based scams charging RM177,000 for fake postgrad admission
SINGAPORE, Nov 3 — Singapore’s two leading universities have reportedly warned prospective students against fraudulent study-abroad agencies offering paid “guaranteed admission” services to their postgraduate programmes.
According to a report in The Straits Times today, the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) issued advisories after such agencies were found advertising on Chinese social media platforms, particularly Xiaohongshu.
NUS said these agencies often use fabricated academic qualifications and credentials to mislead universities, and stressed that all applications are reviewed strictly on merit.
“There are no ‘guaranteed’, ‘fast track’ or ‘direct’ admission routes to NUS,” the university was quoted as saying.
One agency reportedly charges up to 300,000 yuan (about RM177,000) to help applicants gain entry into NUS, NTU and other top global universities.
Another agency reportedly claimed to provide recommendation letters from professors and assist applicants in passing background checks.
Both agencies did not respond to The Straits Times’ queries on their legitimacy.
NUS said it will revoke the student status or degrees of anyone found to have used fraudulent means, while NTU stated that it will reject falsified applications and take disciplinary action against offenders.
NTU added that applications for its coursework-based postgraduate programmes have risen by about 30 per cent annually since 2023, reaching 48,000 for 2025.
Observers reportedly said the universities’ strong global rankings — with NUS at eighth and NTU at 12th in the latest QS World University Rankings — have fuelled demand and attracted scammers.
