Chinese seek US college admission at any price

Jessica Zhang, a 21-year-old Chinese student from Jiangsu Province, says her English wasn't strong enough to fill in her US college admission form. So her parents paid three consultants US$4,500 to fill out the application, write her personal essay and compose teacher recommendation letters. She says she's unaware that her application could be considered fraudulent and even get her expelled, write Shen Lu and Katie Hunt for CNN.

With the promise of English-language fluency, a US college education is increasingly attractive for many students and employers. And as Chinese incomes grow, it is more affordable for parents. Using agents or consultancies to apply to college has been a common practice since US universities and colleges started recruiting in China extensively about eight years ago.

But there are growing concerns that these agencies – many unregulated – are going much further than extending a helping hand. Eddie West, the director of international initiatives at the National Association for College Admission Counseling, says higher education-related fraud is a "significant concern" for many admission officers.
Full report on the CNN site