BEIJING — Students from China's rural and poor areas will continue to enjoy favorable policies when they apply for major universities in 2020, according to a circular released by the Ministry of Education.

China will continue to carry out special enrollment plans to enable more students from rural and impoverished areas to go to major universities and colleges, said the circular, adding that a stricter review on the qualifications of the applicants will be placed.

With disparities in teaching standards among different regions, high school graduates from underdeveloped areas are at a disadvantage in the competition for a spot in the country's major universities.

In an effort to promote equal access to higher education, the circular also said that local authorities should further improve their examination registration policies to enable children of eligible migrant workers to take the college entrance examination in the cities where they live.

Irregularities such as "gaokao migrants", referring to students who register to take the exam in a province where the college matriculation is easier, will be strictly cracked down on, according to the circular.