China's student aid helps more young people reach higher education

BEIJING, July 28 -- As this year's university admission season begins, Chinese education authorities have reiterated their commitment to ensuring that no student will miss out on the opportunity for higher education because of financial hardship.

The country's student aid system has continued to expand in scale, combining government-backed student loans, grants and scholarships to support students from disadvantaged families while rewarding academic excellence, said the Ministry of Education (MOE) at a press conference on Tuesday.

In 2025, China's student aid funding exceeded 390 billion yuan (about 57.4 billion U.S. dollars), up more than 14 percent from a year earlier. Government spending accounted for nearly 240 billion yuan, or about 60 percent of the total funding, making it the largest source of financial aid.

China's student financial assistance system has played a vital role in promoting equal access to education, breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty, and supporting national development strategies.

Since launching pilot programs in the late 1990s, China's student loan program has disbursed a cumulative 695.8 billion yuan, benefiting more than 30 million students.

Among them was Xiang Lubin, now a doctoral student at Anhui University.

"Over more than a decade, I received over 180,000 yuan in student loans, grants and scholarships," Xiang told the press conference.

"The comprehensive support system steadily lifted the dream of a child from the mountains, allowing me to see a wider world beyond them," he said.

China has established a multi-tiered student aid system, in which government funding plays the leading role, supplemented by contributions from schools and society, said Liu Yuguang, head of the ministry's department of finance.

"It provides an institutional guarantee that no student will drop out because of family financial difficulties," he said.

China's national student loan program is designed as a credit-based financial assistance scheme that allows students from financially disadvantaged families to apply without collateral or a guarantor, said Chen Shumei, head of the China National Center for Student Financial Aid.

The loans can be used to cover tuition, accommodation and living expenses. Students are not required to repay the principal before graduation, while all interest accrued during their studies is covered by the government, Chen added.

Since 2012, the annual loan cap has been raised four times, from 6,000 yuan to 20,000 yuan for undergraduate students and 25,000 yuan for postgraduate students, allowing recipients to meet the bulk of their education costs at public universities in China.

To ease the repayment burden after graduation, authorities have lowered interest rates, extended repayment periods, introduced grace periods for principal repayment, and improved assistance mechanisms for borrowers facing financial hardship, according to Chen.

This approach differs from those adopted in many Western countries. In countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom, higher tuition fees, student loans that typically carry higher interest rates, and more limited public financial support often leave graduates with substantial debt.

The current university admission season in China coincides with severe rainstorms and flooding in some regions. Chen noted that authorities would ensure that students affected by natural disasters receive timely support.

"For every freshman preparing to enter university, we will fully implement policies such as national student loans and the 'green channel' admission program to ensure that disaster-related difficulties will not bar any student from enrolling," Chen said.