Draft Standard Agreement Between Universities and Study Abroad Agencies and Procedures for Verifying Foreign Degrees… Efforts to Strengthen Trust and Transparency in International Student Recruitment

In its “Innovation Strategy for Cultivating Foreign Student Talent,” announced on September 8, 2026, the Ministry of Education stated that it would implement a draft standard agreement between universities and study abroad agencies, as well as guidelines for the verification of foreign degrees. These two measures were presented as policy directions aimed at reducing harm caused by false or exaggerated advertising in the recruitment of international students and curbing attempts to gain admission using fake degrees.

However, as of September 11, 2026, only the press release and the policy directions outlined therein have been made public. The full text of the draft standard agreement, the full text of the guidelines for verifying foreign degrees, and the actual contract clauses or verification methods are not available in the publicly released materials.

Announced Measures: Draft Standard Agreement Between Universities and Study Abroad Agencies

The Ministry of Education announced that it will distribute a draft standard agreement between universities and study abroad agencies in the second half of 2026 to ensure that universities can responsibly manage the recruitment and admission process when attracting international students through overseas study abroad agencies.

What is confirmed in this announcement is that the standard agreement is still a “draft” and that there are plans to distribute it. Although the direction of the measure—targeting cases where universities recruit through study abroad agencies—has been disclosed, the specific eligibility criteria, the terms of the agreement, and the detailed obligations of the contracting parties cannot be determined from the press release alone.

Announced Measures: Guidelines for Foreign Degree Verification Procedures and University Consulting

The same strategy states that the Ministry will distribute guidelines for foreign degree verification procedures and provide consulting services to universities to prevent admission based on fraudulent degrees.

However, the publicly available materials do not specify how academic credentials or specific certificates from individual countries will be verified, whether applicants will need to submit new documents, or what procedures will follow the verification results. Therefore, at this stage, there is no basis to state that specific certificates, fees, or verification procedures have been newly finalized.

What Has Been Disclosed and What Has Not

Specific obligations and procedures applicable to universities, study abroad agencies, and applicants have not yet been disclosed

A policy direction has been announced requiring universities to responsibly manage the recruitment and enrollment processes conducted through study abroad agencies. Although a plan to distribute a draft standard agreement to study abroad agencies has been presented, the actual contents of the agreement or the division of roles have not yet been disclosed.

Regarding applicants, new contract clauses or documentation required for the verification of foreign degrees have not yet been finalized or made public. Therefore, based solely on the information currently available, it cannot be concluded that new obligations or procedures are already in effect for specific universities, study abroad agencies, or applicants.

The conclusions that can be drawn from this article are limited. While the government has announced a plan to strengthen both the management of the recruitment process and the verification of foreign academic credentials, actual operational standards can only be assessed once the draft standard agreement and the full text of the guidelines are made public.

Questions Differing from the Article on Comprehensive Strategy No. 4

While this policy is one pillar of the Innovation Strategy for Cultivating International Student Talent, this article addresses only measures related to the recruitment phase—specifically, the relationship between universities and study abroad agencies, and the verification of foreign degrees.