The University of St Andrews, which gained a great deal of fame internationally when Prince William enrolled, will hold the test at the end of this month, according to the Shanghai Tongji Study Abroad Agency, which is authorized to organize the exam.

"Sealed test papers will be transported to the city. After the test, all the papers will be sent back to the university," said Du Yanhua, vice manager of the agency's study-in-UK department. "So far, we have not been informed of the exact test date yet."

In addition, the university will authorize a foreigner to host the oral section of the exam. While no price has been set to sit the exam, the agency said it won't cost any more than the IELTS, which charges 1,250 yuan (US$151).

Shanghai students were expecting a chance to take the IELTS, which is required for foreign applicants to universities in the UK and Australia, in both May and June, but the exam was canceled due to SARS.

Du said that his agency is currently in discussions with several other universities in the UK to see if they would be willing to work with St Andrews on the exam. If so, Du will try to set up the exam with help from the local British consulate.

If other schools insist on holding their own tests, locals applying to several schools would have to sit, and pay for, multiple exams.

An increasing number of Chinese students have made the decision to study in the UK in recent years, despite constant tuition increases. Last year, more than 10,000 Chinese students went to the UK to study, making it the second most popular destination behind the United States.

(Eastday.com May 23, 2003)