Universities will no longer be able to select their own students for Executive Master of Business Administration programs under a new regulation issued by the Ministry of Education.

The China National MBA Education Supervisory Committee announced over the weekend that, from next year, a nationwide exam will be the only way to apply for an EMBA course.

EMBA programs in China have been described as richmen’s clubs, and some institutions offering them have been criticized for alleged corrupt practices.

In 2014, senior officials were banned from taking part in expensive training courses such as EMBA programs.

The committee did not give details about the new exam. However, a report on ThePaper.cn said it was likely to include languages, math and logic, in line with the national exam for China’s MBA programs.

In March, the Ministry of Education disqualified 50 degree programs at 42 colleges in China, including five MBA programs.

The new regulation will only cover programs that grant graduate-level business degrees recognized by the ministry.