In the female biology class, she was the only one who was "falling behind" in terms of grades, but she took the lead in a different way.

Lowest score in class

Liu Xiajun is a student at Dongchen High School in Yibin City, Sichuan Province (southwest China). Xiajun scored 462/750 points in the 2025 college entrance examination (Gaokao).

What's special is that 22/23 students in her class scored over 600 points, many of whom were close to 700. However, it was Liu Xiajun who made her homeroom teacher, school, and hometown the most proud.

462 points may be a modest number in a group of excellent students, but in the sports world, this is an impressive achievement.

Chinese student.png
Despite being at the bottom of his class with 462/750 points in the Gaokao, Liu Xiajun was still sought after by two of China's top universities. Photo: Baidu

As a national level athlete, Liu Xiajun is eligible for direct admission under the policies of two top universities in China.

According to Sichuan Province's admission regulations, candidates who score 285 points or higher and have national-level sports achievements are eligible for special admission. With 462 points, she far exceeded the required threshold.

'Budding rose' of Chinese athletics

Born in 2005, Liu Xiajun showed a talent for running from a young age. In 2018, while still in elementary school, Xiajun broke the 100m record at the City Athletics Festival with a time of 12.89 seconds and was then recruited into the provincial athletics team. Since then, she has continuously won achievements in major tournaments:

2020: China Youth Athletics Championships Champion

2021: Bronze Medal at the Chinese Students' Games

2022: Sichuan Provincial Games Silver Medal

2023: 100m runner-up and relay champion at the Asian U20 Championship

2024: Bronze Medal National Athletics Championship

2025: Win the 100m at the national athletics championship.

His hometown Sichuan proudly calls Liu Xiajun the “blooming rose” of Chinese athletics. Previously, in 2024, Liu Xiajun was admitted to the prestigious Fudan University - top 10 in Asia and top 30 in the world with a bachelor's - master's program.

Chinese Student 1.jpg
Although his academic performance is at the bottom of the class, Ha Quan is a potential Chinese track and field athlete. Photo: Baidu

However, she decided to decline to spend another year studying, with a clear goal: To become a student at Tsinghua or Beijing University. This choice surprised many people, but at the same time, it also showed Ha Quan's spirit of daring to dream big and her determination to pursue her personal goals.

Liu Xiajun’s story quickly became the focus of attention on Chinese social media platforms. In a context where exam pressure still weighs heavily on students and their families, the fact that a female student with the lowest score in her class was invited by two of the most prestigious universities in the country made the online community curious and thoughtful.

According to Baidu , the most common reaction was admiration. Netizens saw Liu Xiajun as a living example of the value of a comprehensive education where students are not confined to numbers. Many expressed their agreement that test scores, although important, cannot fully reflect a student’s character, personality, or special abilities.

This event is like a "push" to the traditional admissions mindset of many universities in China, and at the same time is a clear message that: there is no single path to success.

Some people also believe that the innovation in the perspective of prestigious and influential schools such as Tsinghua or Peking University is the decisive factor. Because if there is no wide open door for special talents like Liu Xiajun, many students who are good in different ways will be forgotten in the harsh examination cycle.

With a score of 462, Liu Xiajun, who was thought to be at the bottom of the Gaokao, is now considered a model for the modern generation of Chinese students: Dare to dream, dare to challenge, and dare to be different.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/nu-sinh-co-diem-thi-thap-nhat-lop-nhung-duoc-2-dai-hoc-top1-chau-a-san-don-2426332.html