BEIJING - China's Ministry of Education has issued new orders to better regulate university recruitment, vowing to "safeguard fairness in education."

The move specifically targets third-party consultancy agencies offering commercial training services to high school students.

Apart from the nationwide College Entrance Examination, or gaokao, some top Chinese universities are allowed to organize independent exams to evaluate candidates who have good academic performance in high school or have skills and awards in certain fields.

Such exams usually consist of resume screening, written tests, and interviews and are therefore more flexible in appraisal. Students who pass the independent exams have easier application requirements for their preferred universities after sitting the gaokao.

Some agencies help applicants manufacture fake application materials to seek an unfair advantage, which undermines university recruitment, according to the ministry.

Universities were ordered to improve supervision and evaluation procedures of the independent exams. Students were called on to apply for the universities "based on their true abilities."

Universities, commercial agencies, and students who violate the rules will be severely punished, the ministry said.