Xinjiang student gets 18 months for altering classmates' college exam choices

A student in China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region was sentenced to 18 months in prison for hacking into the regional exam system and altering the college entrance exam choices of seven classmates, according to prosecutors from Hami city's Yizhou district.

The student, identified by his surname Luo, accessed the Xinjiang examination system in June 2023 and logged into the accounts of his classmates, changing their top college choices. This prevented them from applying to their preferred schools.

Luo's lawyer argued that he regretted his actions and tried to reverse the changes, but the application system was closed. Luo apologized to his classmates and withdrew from his own college in Hami as a sign of remorse. The defense attributed his actions to a lack of legal awareness and jealousy, noting Luo's clean criminal record.

Considering his confession and acceptance of responsibility, the Yizhou District People's Court sentenced Luo to a lenient 18 months in prison for damaging a computer information system. Luo accepted the charges and sentence.

This incident is not the first of its kind. Last year, a student in Hubei province received administrative detention for tampering with a classmate's application due to personal conflict. In 2019, a Zhejiang student was detained for changing the applications of his friends after fearing their better scores would mock him.