Abolish hukou-related university admission quotas

Just over a month ago, a million-plus Chinese high school seniors underwent that dreaded rite of passage into university life, the gaokao examination.

Many foreigners in and outside of China believe that this test is the sole criteria used in university admissions. However, admissions are also affected by where students were born and their hukou.

Of course the residence registration (hukou) system's main impact on education is to deny the children of rural hukou-holding migrant workers living in Chinese cities free primary and middle school education. But the hukou system also makes it more difficult for these children, along with those who stay in the countryside, to get into universities located in some big cities.