The University of Hong Kong's business school on Tuesday said it was investigating "a small number of cases" in which people submitted forged documents to gain admission to the school.

It said it had found that some agencies, which claimed to offer "guaranteed admission", had forged application documents.

The school said it would not tolerate any acts of dishonesty or academic misconduct.

"We are committed to academic integrity and to creating a fair learning environment," the school said in a statement.

"While we understand that securing a place in a top graduate programme is not easy, it is regrettable that this competition has attracted individuals who resort to deceitful means in an attempt to gain an unfair advantage."

The school said that if any of the cases were confirmed to be true, it would take the necessary disciplinary and legal action, including withdrawing offers of admission and referring the cases to the relevant authorities.

One HKU student told RTHK she was surprised that some people could cheat their way into the university.

"It's shocking to me...it's quite unfair to other students who have worked very hard to get into the school, while others can just fake it," she said.

Another student said the university should ensure fairness in admission.

"For future students who want to go to the university...the school needs to have a stricter process for checking their certificates," she said.