At the end of January, the first class of 30 students from Shenzhen's College of International Education obtained more than 70 offers of admission from the top 20 British universities, including the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge.

The school was established in September 2003 and was authorized by Cambridge to enroll full-time students for the General Certificate for Education Advanced Level (A-level) program, which is an internationally recognized qualification.

The A-level education system, which originated in Britain, has been adopted by more than 160 countries in the world. The two-year-long A-level courses include the preparatory courses, so students who finish the A-level may directly apply to universities in many countries including Britain, Canada and the United States.

The results at the local college were 25 percent higher than the average pass rate at similar colleges in Britain, a college spokesman Liang Xunan said. The students were not even in the top 10 percent in their previous high schools before they came to the college, he said.

"The textbooks of the A-level program have a wider coverage than those of our senior high schools, but the tests are easier," said Zhang Xinbo, 19, who received offers from the Imperial College and the University of Warwick.

The students have to take more tests or be interviewed by their respective universities before they are officially admitted. Their admission is also subject to the British immigration policies, Liang said. The academic achievements of the college, however, showed the model for Chinese students to study at home for direct access to world leading universities was quite successful so far, he said.

Shenzhen is the first city in China to be approved by the University of Cambridge to start preparatory programs. Enrollment and tuition fees are only one-sixth what they would be for the same courses in Britain, according to a college official.

Besides the A-level program, the college, with Shenzhen Middle School as a partner, has also been authorized to offer courses for the General Certificate for Secondary Education and related examinations.

Editor: Catherine