At least 18 senior officials from colleges and universities have been investigated on allegations of corruption in 2014, based on official records, Guangzhou Daily reported on Wednesday.

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Wang Guanjun, vice-president of Jilin University and also head of the university's medical department, was detained on Aug 20 and is under investigation for corruption, in the latest case.

Among the officials being investigated, 11 were the top leaders, presidents or secretaries of the Party committee at their university or college. Six worked in medical departments or were in charge of medical education.

There has been an increase in corruption cases involving colleges and universities in recent years, according to a report from Sun Yat-sen University. The major reasons are the loose supervision of large amounts of funds and a lack of legal sense to resist bribery, the report said.