'Off to Tsinghua to become white, rich and beautiful!'

So claim a number of students from Beijing’s Tsinghua University, who have taken to posting a series of striking before-and-after images of their time at the prestigious institution.

The fad quickly became a popular online meme, with the images being reposted by many Internet users, and even on the Tsinghua admissions office’s official microblog.

The topic remains among the hottest searches on Sina Weibo, with more than 113,000 related posts.

The university's admission office has since moved to defend its students’ actions, saying the photos truly reflect the changes brought about by a Tsinghua education.

The office has denied any motivation to use the photos to poach potential students or show off attractive alumni.