Mainland woman admits fake degree in HKUST application
SingTao · 1 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago5 MIN
Summary
A 33-year-old businesswoman holding a two-way permit admitted at Kwun Tong Magistrates’ Courts to obtaining services by deception after falsely claiming she held a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin in an application to the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, or HKUST. The court heard HKUST accepted her into a Master of Science programme in Global China Studies, which she completed before the university later discovered the academic documents were false and revoked the degree it had awarded her. In a cautioned statement, she said she had paid an intermediary RMB500,000 and only later realised false credentials had been submitted, but decided to proceed because she had already quit her job and paid tuition and rent. Acting Principal Magistrate Li Chi-ho adjourned sentencing to September 16 and ordered that she be remanded in custody in the meantime.
Key Points
- Defendant Wang Yuyang (王宇陽), 33, pleaded guilty to one count of obtaining services by deception at Kwun Tong Magistrates’ Courts on September 3.
- The offence covered February 4 to December 19, 2022, when she dishonestly obtained HKUST educational services by misrepresenting a University of Texas at Austin bachelor’s degree.
- HKUST received the application on October 15, 2021, admitted her on November 17, 2021, and she completed the programme between February and December 2022.
- She was awarded a master’s degree on January 30, 2023, but HKUST later verified with the University of Texas at Austin that she had never studied there.
- A separate charge alleging false statements for an entry permit over a December 6, 2021 study visa application was withdrawn.
Why It Matters
The case shows how false academic credentials can affect not only university admissions but also immigration-related applications tied to study in Hong Kong. It also underlines the legal risk for applicants who continue benefiting from an admission after learning an intermediary has submitted fake documents on their behalf.