BEIJING - More than 200,000 college students have submitted application forms online to join the People's Liberation Army (PLA), according to the Ministry of Education on Tuesday.

China has issued favorable policies to encourage college students to join the army, such as exempting students' tuition fees, retaining their student status for two years after leaving the army, and promoting outstanding students to military officers.

College students can also enjoy bonus points in school entrance exams after leaving the military, a ministry statement said.

They can also enjoy tax reductions if they start their own business after military retirement; they are also preferable when it comes to civil servant recruitment, township cadres selection and employment in state-owned, or state-controlled enterprises, it said.

The government of East China's Fujian province said that in the future, 10 percent of government posts and 15 percent of jobs at state-owned companies will be reserved for servicemen after they finish their time in the military.

Central China's Hubei province will give 20,000 yuan ($3,225 dollars) to new military recruits who have graduated from local universities, as well as double the resettlement subsidies they receive after leaving the military.

This year's military recruitment will run from August 1 to September 30, for the first time since the season was moved from October, in order to coincide with the graduation season.

According to the Ministry of National Defense, college graduates or postgraduates under 24, including this year's graduates or those from previous years, are all eligible to apply.

The online application platform, http://zbbm.chsi.com.cn, is open to the public.