How to Safely Choose Universities in Southeast Asia: Check Ministry of Education Overseas Education Alerts First, Then Verify Degree Accreditation

2026-10-04 · Guides

The Chinese Ministry of Education's website for overseeing overseas education issued a total of 4 warnings for overseas study in 2025, involving Ohio, USA, the Philippines (twice), and Japan. As of October 4, 2026, no new warnings for 2026 have been posted on the site, and Malaysia and Macao, China are not on the warning list. This article summarizes the warning details and explains how to check official information and verify degree accreditation before choosing a university.

Let's start with the conclusion: when choosing to apply to universities in Southeast Asia or other parts of Asia, the first step is to check two types of official information. One is the admissions alerts issued by the Ministry of Education, and the other is the degree certification information from the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE). As of October 4, 2026, the latest batch of alerts listed on the Ministry of Education's Overseas Education Supervision Information Website is Alert No. 4 of 2025, which involves Ohio (USA), the Philippines (twice), and Japan; the website shows no new alerts for 2026, and Malaysia and Macao, China are not on the alert list.

Just because a region is not on the alert list doesn't mean you can skip doing your homework. Below, we will clarify the alert contents, how to check them, and the checklist for selecting schools.

Admissions Alert No. 4 of 2025

The following is compiled based on the original text from the Ministry of Education's Overseas Education Supervision Information Website:

No.	Date Issued	Region Involved	Main Content
No. 1 of 2025	April 9, 2025	Ohio, USA	The higher education act passed by the state contains negative clauses regarding China, restricting exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and U.S. universities; students planning to study in this state are reminded to conduct safety risk assessments.
No. 2 of 2025	July 18, 2025	The Philippines	Crimes against Chinese citizens are frequent locally; students planning to study in the Philippines are reminded to conduct safety risk assessments.
No. 3 of 2025	August 30, 2025	The Philippines	Re-reminds prospective students planning to study in the Philippines to strengthen risk assessments and carefully plan their study arrangements.
No. 4 of 2025	November 16, 2025	Japan	Criminal and illegal cases against Chinese citizens are frequent locally; it is recommended to carefully plan study arrangements in Japan.

A few points to understand:

Admissions alerts are reminders to conduct risk assessments and plan carefully, not bans on travel. Students already there should focus on monitoring the security situation and enhancing precautions.
Alerts address specific situations over a period of time and will change as circumstances evolve. The Philippines was alerted twice in 2025, indicating a persistent situation; families planning to go to the Philippines should pay special attention.
As of October 4, 2026, the latest entry in the "Alert Information" section of the website is still Alert No. 4 of 2025. Please check again before departure to see if there are any new alerts.

How to Check the Latest Alerts

Open the Ministry of Education's Overseas Education Supervision Information Website (jsj.moe.gov.cn); the "Alert Information" section is on the homepage.
Check the issue date and the region involved, focusing on entries related to your target country.
Also pay attention to safety reminders issued by Chinese embassies and consulates in the respective countries; the JSJ website homepage also reposts some of this content.

Degree Certification: Check Before Choosing a School

When returning to China for employment, taking civil service exams, or pursuing graduate studies, overseas degrees usually require degree certification, which is handled by the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE). You should consider this during the school selection stage:

Please check the CSCSE official website for certification-related information and the list of recognized institutions to confirm whether your target school and study mode can be certified.
For online courses, branch campuses, and cooperative education programs, certification requirements may differ from regular on-campus study. Please refer to the regulations published by the CSCSE.
The Overseas Education Supervision Information Website also provides system portals such as "Query of Registration and Certification Information for Overseas Academic Degree and Diploma Certificates," which can be used as a reference.
Do not just rely on verbal promises from agencies or consultants that "it can definitely be certified." Rely on the information published on official websites.

Background: Recent Official Developments in Malaysia and Macao, China

Neither region is on the admissions alert list. Here is some recent official information for reference:

Higher Education Cooperation Between Malaysia and China: On August 18, 2026, the Ministry of Higher Education of Malaysia issued a statement. Minister Zambry Abd Kadir visited Peking University and the Huawei Beijing Research Institute. The two sides exchanged views on cooperation in joint research, scholar exchanges, student mobility, and artificial intelligence. The statement mentioned that the two countries already have a Memorandum of Understanding on higher education cooperation and have set up a joint committee to advance it.
Higher Education Management Reform in Malaysia: On August 28, 2026, the Ministry of Higher Education of Malaysia announced that, as a transitional measure to repeal the Universities and University Colleges Act (AUKU), public universities will immediately halt student disciplinary proceedings involving freedom of speech, peaceful assembly, etc.; at the same time, it emphasized that violence, property damage, academic misconduct, etc., will still be handled according to regulations. A new unified higher education law has been included in the Malaysia Higher Education Blueprint 2026–2035.
Macao, China: The University of Macau's official website states that its enrollment in the mainland is approved by the Ministry of Education; both the University of Macau and the Macau University of Science and Technology official websites remind applicants to register only through the schools' official channels, and the schools have not entrusted any agencies or agents for enrollment.

School Selection Safety Checklist

Check Alerts: Check the Ministry of Education's admissions alerts and embassy/consulate reminders once before applying and once before departure.
Check Certification: Confirm on the CSCSE official website whether the school and study mode can be certified.
Check the School's Official Website: For admission requirements, tuition, and visa procedures, refer to the official websites of the school and local government agencies.
Use Official Channels: Register and pay tuition only through the school's official system. Be wary of claims about "internal quotas" or "guaranteed admission."
Understand Local Life: Prepare in advance for housing, transportation, medical insurance, and emergency contacts.
Stay in Touch: Upon arrival, complete registration as required by the school and maintain regular contact with your family.

This article only compiles publicly available information and does not constitute legal or immigration advice. Situations in various regions may change; please refer to the latest official information from the Ministry of Education, the CSCSE, and the target schools.

Need Help?

If you are comparing university application options in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Macao, and other regions, and want to consider safety, certification, and budget together, check out our university application planning services, or directly book a one-on-one consultation.