MORE than 40 Shenzhen Middle School students have received offers of admission from top U.S. universities, with scholarships and grants totaling US$2 million, the Shenzhen Economic Daily reported yesterday.

"Offers from the most prestigious universities in the United States, including Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania and Northwestern University, have been made to 43 students with outstanding academic records," said Wang Zheng, headmaster of Shenzhen Middle School.

Wang said Brown University had accepted seven students from the mainland this year, three of whom were from Shenzhen Middle School.

"One of the three students was awarded a US$50,000 grant, while the other two were each offered grants amounting to US$40,000. This is the first time ever Brown University has provided stipends to undergraduate students from China," Wang said.

He said the students admitted by top U.S universities have been active in community service, which is considered as important as academic performance by American educational institutions.

Yu Yue, who received a US$40,000 grant from Brown, won second prize in a national mathematics contest last year. He also actively volunteered in his spare time, teaching in a village school in Jiangxi Province last summer. He is currently tutoring a boy in Luohu District who cannot go to school because of uremia, the report said.

Li Chenxi, also admitted to Brown with a grant, won a first prize in a national oil-painting competition, and chairs the school's Latin dance society.

U.S. universities treasure community service, which help build up a student's sense of social responsibility and leadership, said Wang.