BEIJING?-- China's education and public security ministries will launch a joint crack-down on falsified household registration used for easier qualification into university, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said on Friday.

The college entrance exam, held in early June, is the sole entrance criteria for most colleges. It is widely regarded as a fair path upward in society.

Under Chinese law, candidates must take the college entrance exams where their hukou, or permanent residence, are registered, because students from regions less developed or with a smaller population can enjoy a lower threshold to qualify for contested slots.

Some students were found to have falsified their hukou to qualify for exams in regions with easier access to colleges, or registered in those regions through illegal means. Such people have been dubbed "college entrance exam migrants."

According to a circular issued by the MOE and the Ministry of Public Security, these "migrants" and whoever engages in or covers up these practices will be severely punished. Those suspected of crime will be subject to judicial investigation.

Communist Party of China (CPC) members engaged in the practice will be subject to intra-Party disciplinary punishment. State employees whose children are "college entrance exam migrants" also face punishment and their cases will be publicized, according to the circular.