DSEDJ implements admission guidelines for universities

The Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) has rolled out new guidelines to improve admissions processes for colleges and universities, focusing on rigorous academic qualification verification to ensure all students meet required enrollment standards.

To support these efforts, the bureau has organized exchanges on academic verification through meetings with higher education task forces and institutional leaders. These initiatives aim to enhance coordination and establish more robust systems for credential verification.

Responding to inquiries from lawmaker Ron Lam, the bureau underscored the significance of a 2019 memorandum between Macau and Mainland China, which enables mutual recognition of higher education qualifications.

Additionally, three public universities in Macau have adopted external verification systems, allowing third parties to confirm academic qualifications. Other institutions have implemented similar channels for verifying credentials.

The authorities also issued a warning to prospective students about the admissions process. They clarified that local higher education institutions do not use intermediary agencies or individuals for recruitment. Applicants who provide false information or engage in fraudulent practices will face severe consequences, including dismissal and potential legal action.

In November, DSEDJ director Kong Chi Meng shared the bureau’s measures to prevent students from applying to local tertiary education institutions with fraudulent documents.
The concern was mainly due to the recent discovery of 24 students submitting fraudulent Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE) results in their applications for admission to the Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST).

Kong said that after a similar series of cases in Hong Kong was discovered in May, the DSEDJ met with local higher education institutions at once to discuss the improvement of verification rules as well as the thorough inspection of academic qualifications. LV