China ready to authenticate all foreign degrees, diplomas

China Travel Services

China ready to authenticate all foreign degrees, diplomas

www.chinaview.cn 2005-08-15 20:25:42

BEIJING, Aug. 15 (Xinhuanet) -- China's Ministry of Education (MOE) has begun to offer authentication services for all foreign degrees and diplomas so that Chinese employers can verify the academic credentials of job applicants.

The MOE can now authenticate degrees and diplomas received fromoverseas higher educational institutions and diplomas received from overseas joint venture schools approved by China's State Council, an MOE official told Xinhua Monday.

The official said that before the new service program, it couldonly offer notary services for university degrees from some 30 countries and regions. The new service, however, can authenticate degrees and diplomas from any country as long as the institutions of higher learning are included in the an MOE list of acknowledged overseas schools.

The official says students can log onto the MOE's website to complete the authenticating process, which is more efficient. Under the previous mechanism, students had to submit written text to the MOE or through visits and and calls for authentification.

According to the MOE, before the end of 2004, 6,000 students had their degrees notarized. Authentication is normally required by most employers.

Chinese students often seek advice on the validity of degreesissued by overseas schools before they go abroad to avoid fraudulence.

Since 1978, more than 400,000 Chinese students have studied abroad, with more than 100,000 coming back to the country in the last two decades. Enditem