Almost half of Macau's 3,000 middle- school graduates have applied for higher education in universities on the Chinese mainland this year, said an examination coordinator here Saturday.

　　Steven Lei Pui Lam, director general of the Chinese Education Association of Macau, said that a total of 1,409 students have applies for 95 universities and colleges on the mainland this year, which represented a record high. The students will take a united college entrance examination from June 21 to 23.

　　The association responsible for sorting the applications said that the most popular choices are universities in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, and Shanghai in east China.

　　Lei said Shanghai became a new attraction for the students not only because it enlarged the enrollment in Macau this year, but also because of its increasing appeal of economic prosperity.