Peking University's legal aid center has confirmed that students and alumni can get assistance if they are sued for helping others.

A senior academic at the university caused a major stir online when his comments, assuring students and alumni they would be offered legal aid if they were sued for helping someone in need, were widely circulated following the Yue Yue incident.

"If you are a student of Peking University and you see an old man who has fallen on the ground, just help him up. If he later attempts to cheat you out of money, the law school will offer you legal assistance. And if you lose your suit, Peking University will offer you compensation," Wu Zhipan, the college's executive vice-president and a professor at its law school, reportedly said.

Although Wu made the statement at an event in September, his words were widely circulated online after the death of Yue Yue, a 2-year-old girl who was run over twice, then ignored by 18 passers-by as she lay injured.

Last Friday, president Zhou Qifeng confirmed Wu's message and added his support during a meeting with students at Tianjin's Nankai Middle School, according to a report by Enorth, a news website run by city authorities.

"I uphold what Wu said and I think students at Peking University should be ready to help," he said.

The vice-president's suggestion of legal assistance was confirmed by the Peking University's legal aid center on Sunday, though the financial assistance was not confirmed.

"Our center can offer legal advice to university students, alumni and alumna, but cannot testify in trials or pay legal fees," an officer in the legal aid center, who did not want to be identified, told China Daily.

Xia Lijie, who is responsible for the legal aid center at the China University of Political Science and Law, said legal aid centers in most universities across the country provide legal advice for students.

"Most legal help for students comes from the university's associations or institutes specializing in law, unless the individual case will affect the school's reputation," he added.

"We are educated and will help people in trouble, but we also need financial protection from university as back up," said Guo Zixin, a postgraduate at Tongji University.