HARBIN, Jan. 13 -- Two officials of a university in northeast China have been suspended as authorities investigate an MBA exam fraud scandal.

One of the directors of the Harbin University of Science and Technology MBA center and a deputy head of the university's Graduate School were suspended for investigation, said Zhao Hong, vice president of the university based in Harbin, capital of northeastern China's Heilongjiang Province.

Zhao confirmed irregularities in the exam on Sunday. The MBA center is suspected of violating regulations when cooperating with a training center in Beijing in a recruitment event, he said.

The center reportedly trained some candidates on how to cheat during the exam.

Rules were not strictly implemented in some exam rooms, added the official, who apologized to the public for the scandal.

Those held accountable in the scandal will be dealt with seriously, Zhao said.

Recruitment for the university's MBA center for 2015 has also been suspended, according to the provincial recruitment and exam authorities.

A special group has been set up to investigate the fraud. The Ministry of Education also sent a working team to supervise the investigation.

In the nationwide graduate student entrance exam held Jan. 4 to 6, a total of 223 candidates in Heilongjiang were found to have violated regulations, including 196 who cheated by using communication devices, according to Heilongjiang education authorities.