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Oct. 18 (NBD) -- University of Birmingham Monday announced Chinese high school students who complete the "National Higher Education Entrance Examination" or Gaokao with top grades will be able to apply for direct entry onto the university's degree program without first completing a Foundation year.

University of Birmingham becomes the first U.K. Russell Group University to accept Gaokao for entry to undergraduate courses. The Russell Group, also known as "British Ivy League", is a self-selected association of twenty-four public research universities in the U.K. including Cambridge and Oxford. 

"We are further opening access to Birmingham's wealth of education opportunities for the brightest and most dedicated Chinese students by accepting this rigorous and important qualification. I look forward to welcoming these high-flying students to the University of Birmingham," University of Birmingham Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir David Eastwood commented.

Currently, due to differences between China and the U.K. in setting up curriculum at the senior high school level, Chinese students who plan to study in the U.K. have to take a one-year or six-month Foundation program before starting their undergraduate courses. University of Birmingham's acceptance of Gaokao will save Chinese students not only time but also expenses such as tuition fee and boarding fee.

However, to get into University of Birmingham is not that easy. The university will only be considering high quality students who achieve a minimum 80 percent Gaokao score, which equals 600 out of 750, and also meet additional academic and English language requirements.

Gaokao is increasingly accepted by universities in Australia, the U.S., Canada and Europe. This June, University of New Hampshire became the first flagship U.S. state university to accept Gaokao as its entrance criteria. 

It's believed that foreign universities' acceptance of Gaokao as admission requirements is aimed to increase income by enlarging the student pool, since the cut-back on education spending in the western countries put a financial strain on universities. And, China has long been a major source of international students.

According to the Ministry of Education of China, approximately 5.19 million Chinese students have studied abroad over the last four decades, and about 1.45 million students are currently studying in overseas higher education institutions. Last year, the number of Chinese students pursuing higher education aboard saw a year-over-year increase of 11.74 percent to reach 608,400, crossing the 600,000 mark for the first time and cementing China's position as the world's largest source country of international students.

 

Email: gaohan@nbd.com.cn

Editor: Gao Han