As Spring Festival quickly approaches, many people are making plans to go home and celebrate with their families.

But a recent survey shows nearly one third of poor college students in Beijing simply can't afford it.

The survey, conducted among college students from 12 Beijing universities who have applied for student loans, shows 30 percent of them have experienced not going home during Spring Festival, while nearly six percent have been unable to afford to go home since they came to Beijing.

Students admit they are not able to afford the train fees, which in most cases are about 200 yuan for a round trip, which is about US$25.

Over 25 percent of respondents say they plan to stay in Beijing during this Spring Festival in the hope of earning some money doing part time work.

Statistics from the Ministry of Education show there are about 2.4 million poor students nationwide, which is 20 percent of the total college students.

Most of the poor students are from relatively poor western regions.

In order to help these students, China Foundation of Poverty Alleviation has opened a bank account to receive public donations.

You can log on to http://www.cfpa.org.cn or dial 86-10-6263 9775 / 6263 9776 for detailed information on how to donate.

(CRI January 10, 2005)