BEIJING, June 15 -- As of May 31, China had a total of 2,914 qualified institutions of higher education, according to a list released by the Ministry of Education (MOE) Thursday.

Among the institutions, 2,631 are colleges and universities, 265 of which are independent colleges, while 283 are adult higher education schools.

The list came at a time when high school graduates are completing their college applications after this year's national college entrance exam, which took place on June 7 and 8.

The MOE also warned students of fake colleges that have been popping up across China in recent years.

These colleges and institutions do not have the official qualifications to enroll students or run schools, and some of them are involved in online fraud. The low cost and high benefit of setting up and running fake colleges has made them difficult to eradicate.

The MOE has called on students and their families to stick to the official list of qualified institutions of higher education.