Some researchers in China believe that the rural poor's earlier disadvantaged education experiences stopped them to get into the leading research universities. In my research, I find equal access to leading research universities relates with many issues, the gross enrollment rate disparity among provinces, the change of enrollment policies, the distributions of enrollment quotas, the urban/rural residence and disciplinary distribution all are the factors that put the rural poor in a difficult position to access the leading research universities. The paper concludes that in the race for creative minds, the leading research universities have forgotten their social responsibility of equity.