Chinese college helps poor students with 'invisible allowance'

University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) has found a way to automatically identify students that needed financial help by calculating consumption records in their meal cards.

The algorithm program designed by the Internet and technology center of the university defined finance-strapped students based on the frequency and amount of money they spend in dining rooms.

Once the data confirms poverty status, the system will automatically send emails to students saying a certain amount of money was added to their meal cards.

Chinese netizens lauded the program and called it “invisible allowance”, as students get the money without compromising their privacy.

More than 40,000 students have benefited from the program and more than six million yuan (about 884,000 US dollars) have been given as aid since 2004.   

Shannon, a student at the university, talked about her experience. “My family was poor, so I spent less than six yuan (0.89 US dollar) for each meal when I was in freshmen year,” she said in a post published online. 

She later got an email from the university informing her to get an allowance of 360 yuan (53 US dollar).

“The program has been widely acknowledged by students, and no one has refused the help from the university,” Dong Yu, a staff of University of Science and Technology told the Chinese news outlet thepaper.cn.  

Li Ling, who graduated from the university in 2015, told the paper that though he was not on the name list, he still once received subsidies when he went on a tight budget for a month. 

“This program is actually just a supplement to poverty relief measures already implemented in the university,” Dong said, adding that the university has a formal list of poor students every year to whom they give out the most of scholarships and financial aids to. 

Chinese universities have long made efforts to provide financial aids to poor students.

Last month, China’s prestigious Tsinghua University offered free accommodations to a disabled and poor prospective student and his mom after he wrote a letter to the university. The university pledged that they will try everything to keep this student from dropping out for financial reasons.

With over 700 million rural residents lifted out of poverty since the start of China's reform and opening up in 1978, the country aims to lift at least 10 million people more every year over the next three years and eradicate poverty by 2020.