The University of Birmingham is the first excellent UK Russell Group university to announce that it will accept the “Gaokao” exam for high-flying Chinese students wishing to join its undergraduate courses in 2019. High school students who complete the “National Higher Education Entrance Examination”, or Gaokao, with top grades will be able to apply for direct entry into Birmingham degree programmes without first completing a foundation year which is a routine for the freshman.

Gaokao is usually taken by students in their last year of senior high school and, every year,each province in China sets the grades required to gain admission to its universities. It is usually held across China in early June. Students are tested in Chinese, Mathematics, a Foreign Language and social sciences or natural sciences.

The University of Birmingham Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir David Eastwood said,“The University of Birmingham has been challenging and developing great minds for more than a century. We welcome people from around the globe to study at Birmingham and Chinese students form an integral part of our education and research community. We are further opening access to Birmingham’s wealth of education opportunities for the brightest and most dedicated Chinese students by accepting this strict and important qualification. I look forward to welcoming these high-flying students to the University of Birmingham.”