Eight Chinese government-financed universities including Shandong University in Jinan and Ocean University of China in Qingdao,on Thursday set a precedent by recruiting presidents and chief accountants from both China and abroad.

Recruitment advertisements were released on Dec. 22,?through the official website of Ministry of Education (MOE), www.moe.gov.cn. and the application deadline is Dec. 31.

All applicants should complete an online registration, a speech and an opinion poll. Those chosen for positions will have a one-year probationary period, according to the statement.

The applicants for university presidents should be Chinese citizens without permanent residential rights in foreign countries, and should have been in charge of Chinese universities before.

Candidates for chief accountant positions should have rich experience in finance, accountancy or auditing.

The universities are all?directly administered by the Ministry of Education, among which Northeast Normal University and the Chengdu-based Southwest University of Finance and Economics advertised two vacancies for university presidents, and another six institutions -- Southeast University, Shandong University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, the Central Academy of Drama, Northeastern University and Ocean University of China -- are recruiting chief accountants.