Xinhua reporters in Yueyang could not locate the university. A school called "The High School Affiliated to Quyuan University" was found, though its staff denied any connection with the university.
An official with Yueyang's education bureau told Xinhua that an institution called "Hunan Quyuan University" was planned a few years ago, but was never established for "various reasons."
The non-existent university has published recruiting notices for years. On its website, it claims to employ around 1,000 staff, with about 85 percent holding master's degrees.
Non-existent colleges are only part of the scam. Some colleges on the list do exist, but they have long been outlawed by education authorities.
Another Hunan college on the list, the Zhuzhou Aviation Tourism College, for instance, is in fact a private training agency. Though local officials removed its qualifications in 2011, the college continues to recruit, with its official website still accessible.
COPYCAT NAMES
One of the common tricks used by the scammers is creating confusion between fake colleges and genuine ones, according to Chu Zhaohui, a research fellow with the National Institute of Education Sciences.
"These bogus colleges usually rip names off of famous universities and do a little alteration, which can be very hard to differentiate," Chu said.
Chu added that the fake colleges, which have proliferated mainly in first-tier cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, tend to recruit students in other cities, making on-site verification difficult.
Students with low scores on the gaokao are easy targets for the fake colleges.
"The 'recruiters,' usually complete with enrollment brochures and even admission notices, often tell the students and their parents that enrollment time is tight in order to swindle 'enrollment fees' from them as soon as possible," said Chu.
"Once they obtain the money, they either just disappear or set up temporary school facilities before asking students to go home for a variety of reasons," Chu added. "The victims not only lose money, they miss the opportunity to go to genuine universities."
Chu suggested a government crackdown is needed to weed out the fake colleges and stop the spread of their recruiting materials. He said high schools should guide graduates properly in choosing their universities to avoid fraudulent ones.
Social media users agreed.
"I truly need some guidance in singling out government-approved colleges," said a Weibo user with the screen name "Shy-stereo." "The fake ones all sound too genuine to me!"
