Are seats in China's public colleges up for sale? It is a question that educators are reluctant to discuss and most parents do not even want to think about.

But as colleges in China begin publishing admission lists after the grueling national college entrance examination or gaokao in June, word has spread on the Internet that students with not-so-high scores but deep pockets can buy their way into some good universities. The non-negotiable price: 1 million yuan ($162,800).

And for those who still believe gaokao is the pinnacle of the Chinese social justice system, it is a rude awakening as they learn the dodgy business has existed for years. In Jiangsu province, known for its teeming wealth and rich education tradition, the illegal price of admission to the top local university was 200,000-300,000 yuan last year. But it has soared by several times this summer because of a drastic cut in the availability of seats, according to media reports.