Student's stipend halted after flaunting wealth

A student receiving financial aid to attend Sun Yat-sen University in Guangdong province had his subsidies suspended after being found flaunting his wealth and consuming excessively.

On Tuesday, the student financial aid management center with the university initiated an investigation into the student, surnamed Zhao, who had claimed his family had financial difficulties.

According to a recent online post on the university's bulletin board service, Zhao used Apple products including an iPhone, MacBook, iPad and Apple Watch. Moreover, he purchased a ticket for a music concert, worth 1,517 yuan ($210).

Zhao was enrolled in the university's Sino-French Nuclear Engineering and Technology Institute in 2021, based in Guangdong's Zhuhai city, and received financial aid after being recognized as a student with financial difficulties.

The suspension of subsidies for Zhao was announced in accordance with regulations on the management of undergraduate student financial aid of the university, the center added.

It also found that the student's application for being recognized as a financially disadvantaged student had complete documentation and met the relevant regulations, the center added.

The university said it would strengthen the management and supervision of student financial aid, aiming to provide assistance and support to students facing financial difficulties, helping them grow and succeed in their academic careers.

Student grants are usually established by the central and local governments to show care and support for financially disadvantaged students enrolled in full-time undergraduate programs, vocational schools and higher vocational colleges.

Zhao's excessive consumption caused online criticism, with most netizens saying subsidies should be given to students who are really in need.

"Students should build a correct and healthy view of wealth when they are studying in universities," said an online user surnamed Yuan on the WeChat account of Nanfang Daily.