University admits student whose application was tampered with by classmate

A middle school student in Jiaozhou, Shandong province, whose application was tampered with by a classmate, has got his application restored and has been admitted to Shaanxi Normal University.

The Shandong Provincial Academy of Education, Recruitment and Examination said in its micro blog on Friday that it has negotiated with the university and decided to accept Chang's application. The university also agreed to enroll Chang.

According to The Paper, a Chinese media platform based in Shanghai, local police has confirmed that Chang Sheng, 19, failed to enroll into the university in the first place only because his application was tampered with by a classmate surnamed Guo.

Local police said on Wednesday that Chang's classmate Guo, who was suspected of tempering with Chang's application, has been detained for investigation after Chang's family reported the case to the police on July 25.

Earlier, Chinese media had reported Chang's story, triggering hot discussion online. Chang is from an impoverished farming family. He applied to study physical education at Shaanxi Normal University on July 5, and would have been exempt from tuition if enrolled.

"I received a notice on July 23 that I was not enrolled. That was a surprise because my college entrance exam scores met the standard," Chang told the local Huashang Daily. "Besides, the university didn't receive enough applications from the area."

Chang checked his records and found that his application had not been submitted to the correct university.

"I submitted my application through my teacher's computer. The teacher told us to arrive at 8 am and gave us some instructions. I submitted mine around 10 am and my classmate Guo was sitting next to me. He may have used my username and password to log onto the application system," he said.

Chang's suspicions were proved correct when he contacted Guo. Guo admitted to tempering with Guo's application because they were applying for the same college, and Chang's exam score was higher.

According to Chang's father, Guo's family had offered financial compensation or help finding Chang a job, but these offers were rejected because all Chang wanted was to go to university.

"I have worked part-time in a food factory since July 13, from 7 am to 7 pm, with only a half-hour break for lunch," said Chang.

"Every day I earn 73 yuan ($11), but after July 23, I was in a bad mood and stopped working. If I could be enrolled and study tuition-free, it would be less of a financial burden on my parents. I have worked so hard to earn this. I cannot accept failing to enroll into a university."

Guo's father told the local media that he and his wife regretted putting too much pressure on their son.

"He was too scared to tell us the truth. I heard from his classmate," said Guo's father. "My 18-year-old son hasn't slept for four days and has lost weight rapidly. He is very sorry. My son is not the only one that should be blamed. It is our fault. We didn't educate him well enough."

Chang said he suggests lenient punishment for Guo because he is still a student.