SINGAPORE – Singapore’s two largest universities have put up advisories cautioning prospective applicants against purported study abroad agencies on Chinese social media platforms offering paid services claiming to help applicants secure “guaranteed” admissions to their postgraduate degree programmes.
The National University of Singapore’s (NUS) advisory on its website said the agencies will typically employ fraudulent means such as fabricating academic qualifications and other credentials in application packages to mislead universities.
The university said candidates need to fulfil stipulated qualifying criteria and all applications are reviewed based on merit. “There are no ‘guaranteed’, ‘fast track’ or ‘direct’ admission routes to NUS,” it added.
Checks on Xiaohongshu found many such agencies offering “direction admission” to NUS and Nanyang Technological University (NTU). Most of the agencies target those with poor high school grades or low undergraduate GPAs, and who have yet to pass English proficiency tests such as the International English Language Testing System.
One agency, Zhongsheng International Education, offers to help students enter NUS and NTU, among other top universities worldwide, at fees starting from 300,000 yuan (S$55,000).
Zhongsheng International Education offers to help students enter NUS and NTU, among other top universities worldwide, at fees starting from 300,000 yuan (S$55,000).
PHOTOS: ZHONGSHENG INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
On its website, the agency claims that it was set up in 2017, and that it works with universities to serve more than 1,000 customers annually.
Another agency called Flying Career also offers university applicants recommendation letters from professors at top universities, and purports to be able to pass background checks.
Both agencies did not respond to queries from The Straits Times on the legitimacy of their services.
In response to queries, NUS said it will terminate the candidature of any student found to have gained admission through fraudulent means, and is enhancing its systems to verify credentials.
NTU will take disciplinary action against any students who breach its codes of conduct, including through falsification, fabrication and facilitating academic dishonesty.
NTU said it has previously invalidated applications containing falsified documents, adding that the number of fraudulent applications “remains very low”.
Both universities said they do not work with any study abroad agencies for admissions purposes.
NTU said applications for its coursework-based postgraduate programmes, which are popular with foreign students, have risen by about 30 per cent per year since 2023. The institution has received about 48,000 applications for postgraduate courses in 2025, NTU said.
