Eight students from the Middle School Attached to China Conservatory made a suicide pact after being advised by the school to quit after they failed to pass more than one third of all final tests last semester, the Beijing Times reported on Monday.

One girl of the eight was reported to have taken sleeping tablets to kill herself and was sent to hospital where she received emergency treatment. The girl told her parents that she and the other seven students had set a date to take pills to commit group suicide on Sunday.

As of Sunday night, three of the other seven students had been found and taken home, but the rest were still missing.

According to the school's student handbook, if students fail in more than one third of all final tests in a semester, they will be advised by the school to quit. In most cases, they are actually not advised but asked to quit.

The parents of these eight students had submitted a joint letter to the school pleading for leniency after they became aware of the policy.