The Fanling Magistrates' Court on Monday sentenced a 23-year-old mainland student to three months in jail for using fake academic credentials to apply for a master's degree programme at a Hong Kong university.

Police said the man had passed an online interview for the Health and Physical Education programme at Education University, and received a conditional offer.

He was then asked to submit his qualifications, including an English proficiency test.

Upon verification the institution realised the actual score attained by the applicant did not match his claim, and reported the case to police.

The man pleaded guilty to a count of attempting to obtain services by deception.

Police warned people against using bogus academic qualifications, saying it will adopt a zero-tolerance approach to maintain the reputation of Hong Kong's higher education.