The controversial Chinese college entrance exam opening doors at more American universities

When education authorities across China begin releasing results on Friday for the biggest exams in the country’s academic calendar, the scores will not only decide entry into Chinese universities – they will open more academic doors in the United States.

China’s controversial college entrance exam, or gaokao, is gaining acceptance in the US as an indicator of better future academic performance.

The University of San Francisco (USF), which started admitting Chinese applicants based on gaokao scores in 2015, said that Chinese students who entered through the gaokao admission programme achieved considerably higher results than those admitted through the traditional process.

“For example, the combined grade point average of the gaokao students is nearly six-tenths of a point higher than the Chinese students who applied through the traditional admission process,” Jason Opdyke, USF’s assistant vice-president of international admission, told the South China Morning Post.

With more than half of its international students coming from China, USF has enrolled 33 Chinese students through the gaokao programme, which requires gaokao test scores, a high school transcript and a one-on-one English interview with a university professor.