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A post on Zhihu.com, China’s answer to Quora, of the heart-warming way the University of Science and Technology of China helped a needy student went viral on July 5, getting around 20,000 likes in one day.

When Shannon first started university, he spent less than one dollar a day on his daily meals, as his family was far from well-off. His purchase history showed that his monthly expenditure on food was about $26.

One day, he received an unexpected email from the university student card administration center telling him to claim a $20 grant. He was surprised, as he had never talked to anybody about his family’s situation. A university staff member explained to him that if a record shows a monthly expenditure amount of less than $30, the grant is automatically allocated to the student’s account.

As the news spread, interestingly, a student from a well-off family attempted to get the allowance as well. He ate out instead of in the university cafeteria for a month, so that his monthly student card expenditure was less than $30. But the student didn’t get any allowance. In response to his complaint of unfair treatment, the university staff said the record had also revealed that he barely ate in the university cafeteria; therefore, he wasn’t recognized as a needy student.

The move has won a good deal of praise from netizens, saying the policy is not only considerate, but smart.

“A focus on people is a core value practiced by the university. Many people hold the stereotype that scientists lack such concern, as the mass media always depict scientists as cold. But in fact, we are very caring people who want to use technology for good,” a graduate from University of Science and Technology of China, Yuan Lanfeng, told Guancha.cn.