A high-priced "Oxford Global CEO Programme" tailored for Chinese entrepreneurs, carrying a tuition fee of 1.08 million yuan, has sparked ongoing debate and finally drew a public response from a student representative.

On August 26, Lan Shili, the class monitor and Chairman of Dongxing Group, refuted online claims that "60 students were defrauded of 68 million yuan" or that it was a "high-end scam," stating at a media briefing that the core issue involves a dispute over travel agency services, not the tuition itself. However, discrepancies remain between his account and the complaints previously raised by multiple students, as well as parts of Oxford University's official statement.

Million-Yuan Programme Accused of Falling Short of Promises

The Oxford Global CEO Programme, developed and delivered by the Oxford Digital Health Institute under the university's Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, is a three-year course with a tuition fee of 1.08 million yuan. The first cohort's initial phase took place in the UK and Germany in late September, followed by sessions in Hong Kong and Singapore. The class consists of over 60 participants, mostly private entrepreneurs, with more than 30 being founders or actual controllers of listed companies.

According to earlier media reports, some students lodged complaints about several discrepancies between promotional materials and reality. Richard Hobbs, the core academic lead, was accused of delivering the same presentation four times within three days, and roughly half a day during the three-day Oxford stay was spent on obtaining library borrowing cards. The promised in-depth visits to companies like DeepMind, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW were reportedly outsourced to a travel agency, with buses merely circling the factory perimeters. Students staying in Oxford undergraduate dormitories found no toiletries or drinking water provided, with meals limited to fast food like pizza.

The entity collecting payment has also drawn scrutiny. Agreements provided by students show they signed a "Consulting Service Agreement" with Oxford Zhongqi (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd. According to China's National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System, the company was registered on March 23, with a registered capital of 5 million yuan. Its legal representative and sole shareholder is Guo Yunzhao, and its business scope does not include education and training licensing. A reporter who visited the registered address on August 19 found it to be an apartment building, and the company had moved out months earlier.

Oxford University Confirms Programme Exists but Lacks Academic Accreditation

On August 6, the WeChat public account "OxfordUniversity" released a statement on the Oxford Global CEO Programme, confirming it is part of the university's executive education system and taught by senior academics. However, it clarified three key points: the programme "focuses on professional development, not academic accreditation," "carries no credits and includes no formal assessment," and participants receive a Certificate of Completion upon finishing. This differs from the Chinese-language recruitment brochure students received, which, according to media reports, stated that completing the programme would earn an "Oxford Visiting Scholar" certificate.

Oxford University also told media inquiries that promotional brochures and videos submitted by students are inconsistent with official university information, stating "the statements and institutional titles in these materials are incorrect," and that the university does not endorse any unofficial or third-party descriptions of the programme. Additionally, Oxford told The Paper that some Chinese promotional materials were inaccurate and that an investigation is underway. Regarding job titles, recruitment materials described Richard Hobbs as "Executive President of Oxford University," while the official website indicates he served as "Pro-Vice-Chancellor" (2019–2025). Oxford does not have an "Executive President" position.

Lan Shili Responds Point by Point: Tuition and Living Costs Are Separate

At the August 26 briefing, Lan Shili addressed the allegations in detail. On student composition, he stated that over 30 of the 60 students are chairpersons or actual controllers of listed companies, with market values ranging from tens of billions to hundreds of billions of yuan. Admission requires document review and an interview with the university, and it is not simply a case of "paying to get in."

On the fee dispute, he clearly delineated two separate payments: the 1.08 million yuan is tuition collected by Oxford University, while the 48,000 yuan accommodation and living services fee for the UK and Germany modules was independently collected by a third-party travel agency. He noted that the on-campus accommodation was single rooms with private bathrooms, and that campus apartments not offering free meals is standard practice at universities worldwide. The dispute between all 60 students and the travel agency over the 48,000 yuan living services fee was resolved with each student receiving a 24,000 yuan refund.

Regarding faculty criticism, he said Hobbs did serve as a university vice-chancellor during his teaching, and his departure was a normal term change. He added that Hobbs only taught the opening session, with no repeated lectures, and that the programme also invited figures like a former UK Deputy Prime Minister to share insights. On the number of dropouts, he stated that only two students were expelled by Oxford for harassing and abusing faculty members, with most of their tuition refunded after deducting costs, and that there were no "over a dozen" withdrawals. He clarified that he was elected class monitor through a secret ballot by all students, not as a "protest leader."

On the certificate issue, Lan Shili said that upon completing the three-year programme and meeting the standards, Oxford will award a "Visiting Scholar" certificate, which he described as a lifelong honor, including benefits like library borrowing privileges. How this aligns with Oxford's official description of a "Certificate of Completion" remains unclear, as the university has not provided further clarification.