A third-party panel found that Higashi Osaka University gave some applicants special treatment in the 2025 entrance exams, including pre-interviews and waiving the written test after a mediator agency flagged those admitted through referrals. The mediator, which had a consulting contract with the university, gathered foreign applicants and conducted pre-interviews about funds and ability to pay tuition—procedures not listed in the exam rules. The university relies on a loan-funding system requiring a joint guarantor, and the committee said privileging guarantor status was unfair. In January, for a retake, around 20 rejected students were urged to reapply; most were admitted, with exam fees waived. In the October/November online exams, the university replaced the 60-minute Japanese writing test with about 10 minutes of questions at the broker's request for seven examinees. The report deems the pre-interview and financial-ability judgments as not fair.