BEIJING - Chinese mainland universities will lower their admission threshold for Taiwan candidates from the new semester starting September, said a mainland official on Wednesday.

Fan Liqing, spokeswoman for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office told a press conference that applicants with scores ranking in the top 25 percent of the island's college entrance exam, or GSAT, could apply to study in more than 200 mainland colleges.

Last year, only the top 12 percent were permitted to apply. Fan said 83 students were enrolled by 37 mainland universities last year.

Taiwan universities as well as vocational and technical colleges plan to admit 2,000 students from the mainland in 2011, according to Taiwan authorities.