“The University is proud to be one of the most engaged universities with China in the world,” said University of Sydney Vice-Chancellor Dr Michael Spence. “This new arrangement will see even more of China’s top students opt to study here and will further increase our high-level engagement in years to come.”

It was the university’s business school that came up with the idea. The University of Sydney has a proud association with China’s academic institutions and Chinese students, with more than 150 academics working on or in China, more than Chinese 4000 students in situ and more than 20,000 Chinese alumni.

Professor Tyrone Carlin, acting dean at the University of Sydney business school, told SMH, ”Many of the top students – if they weren’t exercising their right to go to one of China’s top institutions – they were often going to the US or other jurisdictions where there was a direct admissions pathway for exceptional students,” he said.

“they were often going to the US where there was a direct admissions pathway”

Carlin added that the University of Sydney was one of the few top-tier universities in Australia offering this arrangement, showing leadership and furthering our intention to attract the very best students. Students must prove an Ielts score of 7 or above to be able to fast-track.

29.2.12: Referring to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald that this was a “lowering” of standards, Vice-Chancellor Dr Michael Spence responded by letter, stating: “We are offering entry to the cream of the top 5 per cent of students in a population of 1 billion, who have earned the equivalent of an ATAR of 95 or above.”