A student goes through a metal detector in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province. [Photo/IC]

The undercover reporter said several university students in Hubei province are involved in the scheme, adding that this is not the first time for some of them to take part in the plot.

One university student told the reporter that a client paid more than 1 million yuan ($161,000) after the gang helped his or her child obtain a place in a top Chinese university.

After digging out details of the gang and its operations, the journalist reported the case to the police, the newspaper said.

The report has sparked a huge wave of repercussions from the public and education authorities. The Ministry of Education requested Jiangxi to launch a thorough probe of the incident and asked local police to investigate those involved.

It said students who hire others to take the tests for them will be disqualified from the national exam and their test takers will be expelled.