A middle school student who fought with a burglar at the school the night before this year's National College Examination has been recruited by Tsinghua University, even though his score fell 72 points short, reports Beijing Morning Post.

At about 3 am on June 7, Zhang Yachao woke up to find a burglar trying to enter the school's dormitory rooms in Xinxiang, Henan Province.

When Zhang attempted to grab the intruder, the man fought back and pushed him down some steps.

Although he suffered a broken arm in the fall, Zhang got up and ran after the burglar, only to be injured again when the man hit him on the head with a beer bottle.

Zhang insisted on attending the examination with an aching head and his right arm in a sling after receiving minimal medical treatment in hospital.

He scored just 576, far from the minimum level of 648 needed to qualify for acceptance to Tsinghua.

However, when Tsinghua learnt about Zhang's bravery, as well as his consistently excellent academic performance prior to the incident, recruiters decided to matriculate him.

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