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We investigate the impact of educational fee reduction reform on children’s school enrolment in rural China. Using data from Gansu Survey of Children and Families, we find that the reform did not have significant impacts on school enrolment of 9–12 year old children, while the reform had significant impacts on school enrolment of 13–16 year old children. We also find that for children enrolled in 2004, the higher are the fee reductions, the higher is the probability for them to stay in school in 2007. Heterogeneous effects in terms of different characteristics are also found in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use the Chinese College Student Survey, conducted in 2010, to examine levels of poverty among students on China's campuses. With the poverty line defined as the college-specific expenditures a student needs to maintain a basic living standard on campus, we find that 22 per cent of college students in China are living in poverty. Poverty is more severe among students from rural or western parts of the country. With a targeting count error of more than 50 per cent, it is important that the college need-based aid programme be improved. Lacking other income sources, poor students rely heavily on loans and paid employment to finance their college education. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]