Degree verification of 13 universities stepped up

China will strengthen reviews for degree verification applications from 13 overseas education institutions to protect the rights of Chinese students, the Ministry of Education said on Thursday.

Significant anomalies have been detected in the authentication data for master's and doctoral degrees from the universities, in countries including the Philippines, Mongolia and India, according to a notice issued by the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange.

The certification of overseas academic qualifications is authenticated by the center, based on applications submitted by the returning overseas students. Such verification is necessary for graduates to apply for a job in China.