A total of 27 students from Shenzhen Foreign Languages School have been enrolled by the University of Toronto (U of T) and are scheduled to arrive at the university's Scarborough campus June 3 for their overseas studies.

They are the latest students in the Green Path program, a preparatory program that partners U of T Scarborough with elite high schools in six of China's cities including Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai, Chongqing and Tianjin.

The students will study at U of T during the summer, living on the Scarborough campus and participating in an innovative 12-week program to prepare them for life as undergraduates at the university, said Gong Guoxiang, principal of the school at a farewell party held Sunday.

After they complete the program, the students will begin their undergraduate studies in management, computer science, sociology, life sciences, maths and physics.

Among the 27 students, eight have received scholarships and four have been offered payments for field trips.

This is the first time a local school has sent such a number of students to study at a leading foreign university.

More than 200 students from the six schools participated in English tests organized by the university this year, and 110 were enrolled after face-to-face interviews.

"Among the six schools, Shenzhen Foreign Languages School is the only school whose 27 applicants were all enrolled," said Yan Yuan, chief of the university's admission office in Asia, adding that the school stood No. 1 in terms of the number of students enrolled.

"We are thrilled to be welcoming the best and brightest young students from Shenzhen to our campus for the summer," said Don MacMillan, director of enrolment services. "Examiners were very impressed with Shenzhen students during their tests and interviews. They have good English skills and are very confident."

With almost 70,000 students, the University of Toronto is ranked No. 1 in Canada, and one of the largest public, research universities on the North American continent.

Meanwhile, nine students from Shenzhen High School have been enrolled by eight prestigious universities in the United States and Japan including Princeton, Columbia and Waseda Universities. The students will start their overseas studies in September.

Editor: Yan