Yet it challenges the assumptions that guide many university practices, particularly at elite institutions.
Many university libraries, particularly in the exam season, are open 24 hours a day.
At many universities, foreign students, particularly from Asia, are a cheap source of high quality research assistance.
Over the last four decades, many colleges and universities, particularly public ones, have sought to diversify their campuses simply by admitting substantial concentrations of black, Hispanic and Asian-American students, often by awarding them racial bonus points in admissions calculations.
Indeed, the call for redistribution has put many universities on the defensive, particularly those that worry about doing worse under new rules.
Mr. Wang said that while there were already many foreigners working in Chinese universities, particularly top-tier schools like Peking University and Tsinghua University, he expected the new government program would accelerate the number of foreigners joining other Chinese schools.
Many university science departments, particularly those in the countryside, are trying to recruit more young women, some even frantically.
Many universities too have welcomed the announcement, particularly those concerned about how the ill-thought out core and margin model will work.
But this future will be uncertain, particularly as Brazil's many universities stretch out into the world.
I doubt many universities would admit a student like me today, particularly not at age 16.
