www.chinaview.cn 2005-08-16 21:34:07

 BEIJING, Aug. 16 (Xinhuanet) -- Beijing-based Tsinghua University announced Tuesday it was establishing a new three-million-yuan (360,000 US dollars) special fund to aid the newly-enrolled students from needy families.

A source with the university said the funds are a part of Tsinghua's "Green Passage" program, initiated in 1998, aiming to provide financial aid for the needy students to enrol in the university.

The new Students with financial difficulties will acquire interest-free loans from the university to pay their tuition fees and accommodation charges.

Tsinghua University will provide a maximum of 6,500 yuan (about 785 US dollars) to a needy student in the day when he or she gets enrolled in the university.

In 2004, the "Green Passage" program helped 454 new students get enrolled on time with a total of 2.64 million yuan (about 319,000 US dollars).

This China's leading university vowed "not to allow diligent and talented students to drop out due to financial difficulties".

 It has opened various channels of financial aid, such as launching scholarships and subsidiary programs and providing part-time work opportunities.

In the 2004-2005 school year, 3,210 students with financial difficulties studied in Tsinghua, accounting for 24.3 percent of the total undergraduates.

Tsinghua university spends more than 20 million yuan (about 2.4million US dollars) aiding needy students every year. Enditem