Chronicle of Higher Education
July 30, 2007

China to Increase Scrutiny of Foreign Degree Providers

By PAUL MOONEY

Beijing

China's Ministry of Education is warning local governments around the country about "a few obvious problems" within the growing number of foreign educational programs in China, and is promising increased scrutiny and oversight of those ventures.

In an April memorandum, "The Notice on Regulating the Standard of Cooperation of Chinese and Foreign Educational Programs," the ministry criticized what it saw as the poor quality, high cost, and lack of oversight of some foreign degree programs. It also said that some Chinese institutions of higher education, with whom foreign providers are required to form partnerships, had failed to properly evaluate their foreign partners' credentials or their ability to run the programs. The ministry said it was also concerned that some foreign providers used too many local professors to teach the courses.

Since China first began allowing foreign institutions to offer degrees here, in 1995, the number of ventures has exploded. Today more than 700 foreign academic programs, many of which focus on practical subjects such as business and technology, operate in China.

The ministry said that a recent survey of foreign degree programs revealed that some had admitted students who were not academically qualified, while others had failed to secure visas for students to study abroad as promised.

From now on, the ministry said, it will review each request by a foreign institution to set up programs in China, deciding if it meets the government's standards. It will also supervise and evaluate existing programs on a regular basis.

Until now, the ministry has had a relatively hands-off approach to foreign partnerships, allowing Chinese universities and provincial governments to arrange the deals on their own.

The ministry warned foreign universities looking to make inroads into China that if their intended offerings are "already popular and concentrated among those Chinese institutions, or if its proposed tuition and other charges are significantly higher than the cost, the proposal will not be accepted or approved." It did not provide any details on which programs might be in oversupply.

The ministry suggested that Chinese universities and local governments proceed more slowly in setting up new programs with foreign partners.

Several foreign providers contacted by The Chronicle said they were not aware of the directive and that they had not noticed an increase in government scrutiny of their programs.

But Robert Ubell, dean of the School of Professional Education of the Stevens Institute of Technology, said that his institution was awaiting reapproval of its partnership with the Beijing Institute of Technology.

He said he thought the delay was due to the new directive, and noted that Stevens has had to get reapproval of its two degree programs — in telecommunications management and in photonics and microelectronics — in three out of the program's four years. He said the two institutes were eager to start accepting new students in the fall, and that he expected to get the go-ahead over the summer.

Mr. Ubell said Stevens was not discouraged by the delay. "We are still very committed to our China program," he said, adding that the delay was only a "temporary setback."