IELTS schools attached to Universities, staffed by university Chinese teachers and FTs, have long been a money-making proposition in China. As 'test-prep' institutions they are plugged into the damaged Chinese testing psyche of their students that arrive freshly GaoKao-abused.

The primary problems are that there are absolutely no standards for admission, promises are routinely made of test-success through insider collusion with IELTS officials, and the state-owned universities that contribute staff and prestige are 'hongbao' complicit in the IELTS school's private ownership's deceit and mismanagement.

Third level universities seem to be the most egregious perpetrators since they enroll few students that arrive with any spoken English ability and since their basic tuition is already so high, students are primarily rich kids, fluffy for the fleecing. At one university where I taught only 22 out of 180 students that were guaranteed overseas matriculation their Junior year in concert with their IELTS partner actually achieved IELTS test levels that were acceptable to a U.S. or Canadian college.

Public universities in China should cut all ties with these schools. They are a disgrace.