Avoid falling prey to bogus education consulting services

Education authorities cautioned students and parents to be wary of pricey university application consulting services, aiming to leverage on families desperate to secure a coveted spot at a top university for their children, as the national college entrance exam, or gaokao, concludes on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Education has also urged them to be vigilant against exam-related scams and misinformation, citing a series of issues ranging from fraudulent claims to unqualified counselors. Do not trust unofficial information and expensive application counseling services, it said.

It listed several typical cases: such as firms allegedly claiming access to "internal data" from universities to guarantee admission, and those boasting of "expert teams" of university application planners, who are often hastily recruited individuals reading from a script to "guide" students.

Some application guidance services exaggerate the employment prospects of certain majors, creating the illusion of so-called hot programs, with an underlying motive to sell certain courses and consulting services for profit, the ministry said.

The warnings came as the market for such services has grown into a burgeoning industry that fosters an atmosphere of anxiety.

Zhang Xuefeng, an influential education adviser with a massive online following, and his company have seen explosive growth from the gaokao consulting industry. Last year, Zhang reportedly earned 300 million yuan ($42 million) in just a few hours from selling college application courses.

His business, which includes educational consulting, book publishing and study tours, is estimated to be worth hundreds of millions, according to Jiupai News, a media outlet based in Hubei province.

Recently, he has again sparked controversy after a parent in Henan province purchased a set of 2025 gaokao prediction papers from Zhang's team for 168 yuan and reported finding errors in the mathematics section.

While the company's customer service acknowledged the mistakes, they refused a refund, saying that the sealed packaging had been opened.

Similar complaints have emerged on social media platforms, with users pointing out loopholes in other subjects like Chinese and geography in Zhang's learning materials. Such flawed materials not only mislead students but also waste time during the critical final review period, some netizens said.

The sales revenue of the prediction papers on e-commerce platforms in April reached between 25 million and 50 million yuan, according to third-party data platforms.