The billionaire couple who founded Chinese real estate company SOHO China have given $15 million to Harvard University as part of a $100 million endowment they are establishing for underprivileged Chinese students to attend top universities around the world.

Zhang Xin, SOHO's CEO and her husband Pan Shiyi have set up the SOHO China Scholarship with the donation to Harvard.

"Getting the best education should not only be for those who have the means - it should be for those with the talent," Zhang told The Wall Street Journal.