BEIJING - An official from China's Ministry of Education on Tuesday vowed vigorous efforts to ensure fairness in the country's university admission procedures.

The comments came following several media reports of cheating scandals surrounding the national college entrance examination, or "gaokao."

To date, a total of 35 people were found to have been involved in a cheating scandal in Qixian and Tongxu counties in central China's Henan Province during last month's gaokao, said Xu Mei, the ministry's spokeswoman.

College candidates face ultimate test

These people include 10 candidates for the exam, 11 who were paid to sit the exam for the candidates, three "intermediaries," nine invigilators or exam administrators as well as two others, according to Xu.

The candidates involved will be suspended from taking all kinds of national exams for three years and the university students who sat the exam on behalf of others will be expelled from their schools, she said.

The spokeswoman also pledged severe punishments, up to removal from post, for officials involved in the violations and that suspected criminal offenses will be delivered to judicial agencies to handle.

Xu said the ministry has also told local authorities in Henan and northeast China's Liaoning Province to probe cases of suspicious athlete certificates for students that are used to get them extra points on the gaokao.

Any student who cheats on the gaokao will receive immediate punishment, Xu said, adding that even in cases where their violations are found after they have graduated from university, their degrees or academic certificates should be revoked.

Xu said the ministry will send several inspection teams to investigate possible violations by universities during student matriculation procedures.

The gaokao exam is seen as a crucial opportunity for Chinese students to change their fates. Over 9 million students sat this year's examination.