A Chinese university suspended a student¡¯s offer of admission because of his father¡¯s low score on the government¡¯s social credit system, according to reports.

The father¡¯s low score was because of an old bank debt, the website of the state-run broadcaster .

China¡¯s social credit system is ¡°a series of big data and AI-enabled processes that effectively grant subjects a social credit score based on their social, political and economic behaviour,¡± . Those with low scores can be prevented from accessing services including flights and train travel.

¡°The student from east China¡¯s Zhejiang Province, identified by his surname Rao, received a call for a Beijing-based university that he had applied to, informing him that he might not be able to complete his enrolment because of his father¡¯s low score on the country¡¯s social credit system,¡± CGTN reported.

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The father had been taken to court for defaulting on a loan in May 2016, but was still unable to repay and his ¡°social credit score moved down as a result¡±.

¡°But it seems that Rao is paying the price of his father¡¯s mistake,¡± CGTN said. ¡°The university suspended its offer to the student, prompting the father to finally clear his debt in an attempt to allow his son to continue his tertiary education.

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¡°The judge is reportedly working on removing Rao¡¯s father from the list, now that he assumed his responsibilities.¡±

The What¡¯s On Weibo blog ¨C which looks at trends on the social media site ¨C and widely commented on by social media users.

One of the most popular comments said: ¡°If it is?OK to treat those who are associated with an offender as guilty, then it¡¯s time to punish the sons and daughters of corrupt officials, too.¡±

An individual from the China Law Translate blog had been able to ¡°track Rao down in the public blacklist¡±, finding that the institution involved ¡°which has not been named in Chinese media, is most probably a private academy¡±, What¡¯s On Weibo said.

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john.morgan@timeshighereducation.com