Five of Shanghai's top universities will take advantage of new, more flexible enrollment regulations to register students who don't ace the national college entrance examination but excel in one subject or other areas such as sports or arts.
The new rules, announced last week by the Ministry of Education, allow schools to open up to 5 percent of their enrollment to students who pass the entrance exam but don't get marks high enough to be admitted into top schools.
According to the ministry, 22 universities, including five in Shanghai -- Fudan, Jiao Tong, Tongji, East China Normal and East China University of Science and Technology -- have received permission to recruit up to 5 percent of their students in a more independent way.
Universities will be allowed to use their own entrance exams or interviews to select students to fill the new positions. In the past all admission were based on scores from the national exam.
The rule will affect less than 900 out of an estimate 90,000 students in Shanghai this year.
Several local universities said they will announce details of their assessment programs next month, but the plans will benefit students who are strong in one academic area or excel in extra-curricular activities.
"The reform will guarantee that students with specialties have the chance to receive higher education," said Zheng Fangxian, director of Fudan admission office.
Xiao Baoqiang, a local driver, said: "My child is mad about literature and has had stories published. But we always worry he won't enter a university for further education because of his poor scores in sciences."
Yang Zhenbin, an official at east China Normal University, says the school will set up a supervision system to make sure the more flexible rules aren't exploited by parents who want to buy their children a spot at a top college.
(Eastday.com March 13, 2003)
