Student admits forging reference letter for PhD place at Education University

A student has admitted forging a reference letter to secure admission to a doctoral programme at a university in Hong Kong, after repeatedly failing to secure a place despite high hopes for her academic career.

Fanling Court heard on Monday that 31-year-old Li Zuer from mainland China pleaded guilty to one count of obtaining services by deception.

She commissioned a Shenzhen-based agent to rewrite a reference letter endorsing her academic performance and falsely claimed it had been submitted by Ho Wai-yip, a former teaching staff member at the Education University of Hong Kong (EdU), in March 2024.

In court documents, Li previously stated she was enrolled in EdU’s doctor of education programme. Her lawyer told Magistrate Kenneth Chan Ping-chau that she had since lost her place as a result of the offence.

The court heard Ho had originally written a reference for Li, his former student at EdU. In that letter, he praised her character but noted she “still had room to improve her English proficiency”.

Senior Counsel Edwin Choy Wai-bond, representing Li, said his client had “high hopes” of building a career in academia. After multiple unsuccessful applications to doctoral programmes in Hong Kong, she turned to a Shenzhen agency to have the letter rewritten.

The altered version claimed Li had demonstrated exceptional academic performance and remarkable dedication to her studies.