Selected universities in Jiangsu province have been approved by the Ministry of Education (MOE) to carry out their own recruitment of students based on independent testing, according to Xinhua Daily on March 9.

Some 90 university across the country were selected for the MOE pilot scheme, including 11 in Jiangsu, such as Nanjing University, Southeast University, and Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

The scheme was first introduced in 2003 to reduce the burden on talented students who fail to achieve ideal results on the National College Entrance Exam, or Gaokao.

Middle schools are able to recommend students which are gifted in certain areas, such as science or engineering, to take the tests in order to boost their chances of securing a university place.

Students are also able to apply through the university’s website.

Though students will still have to sit the Gaokao, the independent test will add credit to their final results.

In some cases, a university can directly take in a candidate once he or she passes the test.

The MOE has stipulated that no more than five percent of students can be enrolled through independent testing.