Chinese academics accused of misusing RSA memberships for academic titles

Several academics at prominent Chinese universities have been accused of purchasing memberships to the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) to misrepresent themselves as having prestigious academic titles. These individuals have reportedly used the RSA membership to claim they are “Fellows” (院士), a term in Chinese that often implies membership in a national academy of sciences.

Reports indicate that RSA membership can be obtained relatively easily through annual or lifetime fees, with lifetime designations costing approximately 4,500 pounds. While the RSA is a London-based organization with royal patronage, it is distinct from the prestigious national scientific institution known as The Royal Society, which maintains a highly selective fellowship process.

Investigations have identified faculty members from institutions including Beijing Institute of Technology, Wuhan University, Shandong University, and Sun Yat-sen University using these credentials on official profiles, recruitment materials, and government reports. In one instance, Sun Yat-sen University removed a celebratory announcement regarding a faculty member’s RSA designation following the controversy.