Master's Degree Revoked: Jiang Fangzhou Accepts the University's Handling and Apologizes to Readers and Teachers

By The Paper reporters Yue Huairang and Jiang Ziwen

On the evening of July 13, 2026, Renmin University of China issued a statement announcing that Jiang Fangzhou had been found to have committed academic misconduct, and her master's degree was revoked.

Shortly afterward, Jiang Fangzhou responded on her verified personal Weibo account, saying, "I accept the Renmin University administration's handling of this matter. To the readers who were disturbed and disappointed by this incident, I offer my apology. To my teachers who have been subjected to disciplinary action because of this matter, I offer my deepest apology."

According to earlier reports by Xinhua, new leads recently emerged online regarding suspicions that the thesis of Jiang Fangzhou — a 2019 master's graduate of the School of Liberal Arts at Renmin University of China — involved academic misconduct. On the evening of July 13, Renmin University of China issued a statement saying that, after an investigation, Jiang Fangzhou was found to have committed academic misconduct, and the decision was made to revoke her master's degree.

According to the statement, upon receiving the new leads, the university attached great importance to the matter and immediately formed an investigation team composed of several renowned experts from both inside and outside the institution. Through literature tracing and comparison, inquiries conducted in accordance with regulations, and by hearing the parties' defenses, the university carried out an in-depth verification process.

After verification, nine passages of Jiang Fangzhou's master's thesis were found to overlap textually with an overseas journal article, and the relevant content was neither cited nor listed in the references. In accordance with the provisions of the "Measures for the Prevention and Handling of Academic Misconduct in Higher Education Institutions" and the "Academic Degree Law of the People's Republic of China," the university determined that Jiang Fangzhou had committed academic misconduct and, after deliberation, decided to revoke her master's degree.

Renmin University of China stated that it will take this incident as a lesson, continue to deepen the cultivation of academic integrity, optimize thesis quality management, strengthen education on academic ethics, and resolutely uphold the seriousness and authority of academic standards.

Originally published by The Paper (澎湃新闻): 硕士学位被撤销，蒋方舟：接受校方处理，向读者、老师致歉