(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-11-30 16:36

BEIJING, November 30 (Xinhua) -- More than one-fifth of graduates from Peking University (PKU), one of the best Chinese universities, earn a salary of more than 10,000 yuan (about 1,333 US dollars) per month, far outstripping the potential earning power of students from almost every other university in the country.

The statistics were based on a survey of 1,321 graduates carried out by the university's employment guidance center since last October. They reveal that graduating from PKU, the equivalent of Oxford or Cambridge, Harvard or Yale, almost guarantees a well-paid graduate-entry job - a contrast with students from local universities throughout China who struggle to find a job.

The PKU survey also showed that the income of 73 percent of the university's graduates is above 4,000 yuan (about 533 US dollars) per month, and 65 percent of the graduates are satisfied with their jobs.

The existence of an educational elite of new graduates able to pull down starting salaries far in advance of their peers at most other universities is shown in a separate survey carried out by the employment guidance center of Fudan University in Shanghai, which reveals that the average salary for college graduates working in Beijing is 2,950 yuan (about 410 US dollars), while the figure is 2,750 yuan (367 US dollars) in Shanghai, 3,650 yuan (488 US dollars) in Guangdong and 3000 yuan (400 US dollars) in Tianjin.

Tong Hai, who joined HSBC bank in 2005 and is now working as an assistant manager for customer credit risk analysis, is one of the outstanding graduates from Peking University, which is nicknamed Beida.

"Beida gave me an excellent platform for improving both academic and professional skills. This is crucial for my job hunting and my future development," Tong said.

Tong, who entered the School of Mathematics at Beida as an undergraduate in 1997, described his four-year college life as healthy and well-organized. He took full advantage of all kinds of facilities in Beida and laid himself a solid knowledge foundation.

He then chose to continue his studies in the same institute as a post-graduate to boost his career prospects.

He said postgraduate study focused more on applying knowledge to real practice. Through the experience of many scientific research programs, Tong felt himself more and more capable of cooperating and communicating with others as a team member.

"I gradually learned to accept different thinking patterns and to analyse things from more than one perspective. this is among the best experiences I have gained here."

"Compared with those who graduated from pure science or engineering universities, the students of Beida have a more rounded and developed intellect, being active thinkers and good at coping with emergencies, " Tong said.

"When I was a student, I already planned to work in the banking field.  I predicted several years ago that finance, being a new industry in China, would have a bright future. Now, I am realizing my dream." Tong said with a smile.

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