SHANGHAI, Aug. 22 -- A LACK of gratitude will cost five needy college students in central China this year.

The students are being denied further financial aid because they never expressed their thanks to the businesswomen who helped pay their bills last year.

The beneficiaries, who joined a program designed to sponsor poor college students in Xiangfan City, Hubei Province, last year, were said to have been indifferent to their sponsors as they never called, wrote or even thanks for the financial support they had received, the Chutian Metropolis Daily reported today.

The program, which was set up by the Federation of Trade Union of Xiangfan and the city's Businesswomen Association last August, saw 19 businesswomen offer financial sponsorship to 22 needy college students, the report said.

The members promised to provide 1,000 yuan (US$132) to 3,000 yuan every year to each of the students for the next four years.

The federation said it had sent letters to the students and their families before they enrolled in college, suggesting they occasionally write letters to their sponsors to brief them on their studies, the report said.

Two-thirds of the beneficiaries never wrote a letter, the report said, adding that one student who did write a letter mainly discussed how poor his family was and how much he needed more money, which made his sponsor feel "upset," the report said.

Some of the businesswomen refused to sponsor for the students this year as "some students were cold-blooded."

Seventeen students will continue to enjoy their sponsorships this year, the report added.

"Most of the students have a strong sense of pride," said Zhou Ping, deputy chairman of the federation who admitted that she felt "embarrassed" about the situation.

"They lack a proper and optimistic attitude toward others and society," Zhou added. "Some of them took the sponsorships for granted as they thought they were good at studies and that's why they didn't have to thank others for their help."