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In the summer of 2024, Liu initially turned down an offer from Fudan University in Shanghai to pursue her dream of attending Tsinghua University, the most prestigious school in China and Asia. However, she did not score high enough to gain admission to Tsinghua, the South China Morning Post reported.

Liu retook the national university entrance exam (gaokao) last month. The 19-year-old scored 462 points, which qualifies for admission to China’s top universities.

“I was very surprised [when I got my results] and asked my teacher: ‘Is there a mistake in the results?’,” Liu said. “I believe that the most important factor in achieving such results before entering formal education is perseverance. Despite the immense pressure of resitting the exam, you cannot think about giving up.”

Born in Ziyang City, Sichuan Province, Liu has also excelled in athletics. She won a gold medal in the women’s 4x100m relay at the 2023 Asian U20 Athletics Championships in South Korea, and also claimed silver in the individual 100m event. Her personal best time in the 100m, 11.55 seconds, was achieved at a local competition in April 2025. Liu was still training the day before the gaokao began.

The gaokao, held annually from June 7 to 10, is considered one of the most important exams in China, as it significantly impacts students’ futures. The exam determines which universities they can attend, what majors they can pursue and their career paths.

For elite athletes, the average score required to get into college is only around 158. Most provinces in China set the maximum gaokao score at 750. In 2000, a student named He Biyu achieved the highest-ever gaokao score of 750 at just 14 years old and later studied at Tsinghua University, where the standard score for various majors ranges between 650 and 676.