A total of 161 students of a Shenzhen school have been enrolled by top Chinese universities this year without being required to take the National College Entrance Examinations (NCEE), which will be held in early June.

Shenzhen Foreign Languages School topped Guangdong Province in terms of the number of students enrolled by universities prior to the NCEE.

The students have been admitted by 33 reputed universities including Qinghua University, Beijing University, Zhejiang University, Beijing Foreign Studies University and Renmin University of China.

Instead of the NCEE, the students passed a number of tests in English, Chinese and mathematics, and appeared for interviews.

In 2001, the Ministry of Education allowed 13 schools across the country to recommend 20 percent of their graduating class for tests arranged by top Chinese universities.

"The school made a remarkable growth in the enrollment rate of recommended students to universities this year, comparing to other 12 schools," said Gong Guoxiang, principal of the school.

Two months ago, 27 students from the school were admitted by the University of Toronto through the university's Green Path Program, a preparatory program to help students begin their college life in Toronto. Among the students, eight were granted scholarships and four received stipends for field trips.

The number of universities seeking the school's students has been increasing recently, Gong said.

This year 33 universities admitted the school's graduates, 11 more than last year.

Chen Naifang, former president of Beijing Foreign Studies University, said the school's students generally have more knowledge, a better command of English and better communication skills than their counterparts from other cities.

Editor: Yan