Student faces jail for faking Ivy League degree to enter top Hong Kong university

Student faces jail for faking Ivy League degree to enter top Hong Kong university


A student holds a diploma scroll. Illustration photo by Pexels

A 28-year-old mainland Chinese student is facing jail after faking an Ivy League degree to gain admission to the University of Hong Kong (HKU), one of Asia's top universities.

Li Sixuan pleaded guilty to "obtaining services by deception" and "possessing a false instrument," according to acting principal magistrate Cheang Kei-hong, the South China Morning Post reported.

Court documents revealed that Li falsely claimed to hold a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics from Columbia University in the U.S. to apply for a Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics at HKU. Her application was accepted in 2022, The Standard reported.

However, a university-led investigation in 2024 uncovered that Li had never graduated from Columbia, one of eight Ivy League schools which was ranked 34th in the QS World University Rankings 2025 of top global universities.

When she refused to attend a mandatory interview with administrators at HKU, ranked 17th globally by QS, the university alerted authorities.

Li was intercepted by immigration officers as she attempted to leave Hong Kong. She then admitted she had actually graduated from Wuhan College under Zhongnan University of Economics and Law.

Li told investigators she had paid CN¥380,000 (US$52,000) to an individual who allegedly arranged an "online course" through Columbia, which she attended only briefly. Authorities later found a forged HKU certificate in her possession bearing the word "distinction," despite her academic records showing she only earned a "pass."

Li has been released on bail and is due to be sentenced on May 8.


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