Chinese sports stars, with their brilliant achievements and natural athletic talent, can pursue further studies at China's most prestigious colleges without taking the 'Gaokao', or the National College Entrance Examination.

Some athletes study rigorously and graduate with top honors from university, while some have found it hard to pass various examinations required during tertiary education. Even more have had to quit college for failing to complete their curriculums even after six or more years of study.

Athletes attending college without taking the 'Gaokao' have triggered a heated debate across the country. Some netizens say it's one way for Chinese universities to spot talented students, while some believe it's an unfair advantage.

The following are ten of the most popular sports stars favored by China's most renowned universities:

  Dai Feifei, Peking University  戴菲菲，北京大學

 

Dubbed the most beautiful girl in Chinese sports, 27-year old Dai Feifei is now teaching at Peking University, where she received dual degrees after studying at the College of Journalism and Communications and the School of Arts. She's also an actress and model. She won two gold medals with her team in rhythmic gymnastics at the 21st World Universiade held in Beijing in 2011, and the gold in rhythmic gymnastics at the 9th National Games in Guangdong, 2001.