Spring is in the air: the smells, the sights and the thoughts of exams. At least that's the case for students set to take the national college entrance exam, or gaokao, in June.

Among them are hundreds of students from rural areas of central and western regions, who are taking part in a program launched by Fudan University. The university recently announced that it will enroll at least 300 rural students in 2014, about 10 percent of its total.

"This is in response to the call to create more opportunities for students from rural areas to study at the country's leading universities," said Ding Guanghong, director of admissions at Fudan.