THERE HAVE BEEN rumors that the Shanghai municipal government will grant students of Peking and Tsinghua universities a Shanghai hukou (household registration permit) as soon as they graduate. Beijing News comments:

In fact, the situation is not clear. The Shanghai government has said that it has decided to carry out a reform to open a fast channel exclusively for graduates from prestigious universities, and Peking and Tsinghua are first two universities that the reform targets, but it is still unclear whether or not they have to take part in the hukou application scoring system.

The system for non-locals to apply for a Shanghai hukou is strict and college graduates must hold degrees in majors from key universities listed by Shanghai and have received certain level honors or awards to have any chance of obtaining a local hukou.

Although the application conditions of the proposed fast channel remain unknown, the pilot reform would seem to represent a change of attitude by the metropolis.

With a low fertility rate, 7 newborns per 1,000 people compared with the national average of about 12 per 1,000, and a high proportion of elderly residents, about 20 percent of Shanghai residents are above 60 years old, Shanghai actually has no choice but to open its doors to young people.

The fierce struggle for college graduates among the second-tier cities, such as Xi'an, Nanjing, Wuhan, Hefei, this year has perhaps awakened Shanghai to the differences that a change to hukou policies can make in attracting young talents.

So it is likely that the hukou reform of Shanghai will only speed up, and more universities are likely to be included in its pending fast channel for hukou applications.