The application for Macao people' s studying postgraduate and doctoral degrees in universities and colleges in the inland areas of China began in Macao on December 2.

More than 100 institutions of higher learning in the inland areas are recruiting learners from Macao, as well as those from Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The application will last till the end of the month, but organizers said that the deadline might be postponed for many people are engaged in activities concerning Macao's return to the motherland on December 20.

It will be the seventh time for universities and colleges in the inland areas to admit learners for postgraduate and doctoral degrees from Macao. The examination will be held early next year.

During the past six years, a total of 53 institutions of higher learning in the inland areas had recruited 713 such learners from Macao, 665 of whom were postgraduate learners.