China's Education Ministry has called for the enforcement of strong discipline as universities recruit students through proprietary testing, rather than national college entrance exams.

In a Friday circular, the ministry ordered strict examination of candidates' credentials and asked admission staff to record interviews on video and publish students' scores in a timely manner.

Universities authorized to use the admission program should set up a team of university leaders and discipline staff, and decisions regarding admission should be made collectively, according to the circular.

"The admissions process has a high incidence of corruption," said Xiong Bingqi, a professor of higher education with Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Xiong said university admission processes have been influenced by administrative power and university officials have used the program for personal gains.

In a move to stamp out corruption in the admissions process, the Education Ministry urged all universities to accept the supervision of discipline watchdogs in the admissions process.

Universities will be disqualified for the program and relevant personnel will be held accountable if they fail to enforce policies regarding the program, the ministry said in the circular.

The move came after a number of university officials were placed under investigation for involvement in corruption.

In November, Cai Rongsheng, head of the admissions office of Beijing-based Renmin University of China, was allegedly involved in admissions corruption. Following the scandal, the university decided to temporarily halt the program.

The proprietary testing recruitment scheme, or "autonomous enrolment program," was first launched in 22 universities in 2003. As of 2013, the number of universities qualified for such a program increased to 90.

Universities are allowed to select no more than five percent of their new undergraduate recruits through the proprietary testing recruitment scheme. The remaining students are admitted through the national college entrance exam.