Easing the payment problem

Similarly, students with good credit records can borrow umbrellas and mobile power chargers for 30 minutes without paying a deposit. Those who don't return the umbrellas will be charged 1 yuan for every 12 hours and those who don't return the chargers will be charged 1 yuan per hour.

Students with a credit rating of 600 or more on Zhima can also enjoy the convenience of paying for online education after completing it and receive their salary in advance for part-time jobs on campus, such as working in the libraries and canteens or working as home tutors for primary and middle school students through the introduction of the university.

"For example, if a student's salary per week is 1,000 yuan, the employer may pay the student 300 to 800 yuan on the first day of a week. We're also talking to employers out of school to popularize the practice," says Li Congshan, deputy general manager of Zhima.

"Such credit services are not only designed to make life more convenient for university students, but also allow them to experience the value of maintaining a good credit rating. Accumulating good credit will become a lifetime pass that will make various services accessible to them," she says.

More such credit services will be tailor-made for university students to offer them greater convenience in their studies, everyday living, internships and employment, says Li, adding that the credit services will be permanent in Shanghai Jiao Tong University and will be expanded to other universities soon.

University students gave fresh ideas on what types of credit services they would like to see for students with good credit records.

"I suggest that fresh graduates who have extraordinarily good credit records can rent an apartment without the need to pay a deposit, which is usually equivalent to one month's rent," says Xu Shuyi, a sophomore at Antai College of Economics and Management of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.