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Number of Chinese students that study abroad up to 2017
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Number of Chinese students that study abroad up to 2017
Number of students from China studying abroad between 2007 and 2017 (in thousands)
by Shu Han,
last edited
Aug 9, 2019
The number of Chinese students going abroad for study keeps increasing. In 2017, around 608,400 Chinese students left China to pursue overseas studies. The number increased by 11.74 percent compared to the previous year and makes China the largest country of origin for international students in the world.
Motivations for overseas study
In China, some of the best universities are public universities which get most of their support from the government. Although the number of institutions for higher education and students enrolled in universities inside China have increased significantly in the last few years, the pathways to gaining admission to good universities are still limited. For most people, the national exam “Gaokao” remains the only way to enter a good public university. Therefore, there are students studying abroad to avoid the national exam and to gain admission to a better ranked university. For some study programs, overseas institutions are better equipped and can provide more international academic environment. These qualities attract a lot of Chinese scholars. People who have studied abroad are considered to have a global insight and better language skills, which makes them more competitive in China’s recruitment market.
Financing for overseas study
Developed countries and regions are still the most popular destinations for Chinese students studying abroad. English-speaking countries including the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia are the leading destinations among them. In some countries, Chinese students have already become an important funding source for their local universities. However, since students studying abroad are not all from extremely wealthy families, non-English speaking countries where the universities charge less in tuition fees are becoming increasingly popular. While most students from China were self-funded, relying on their parents’ support, the number of students who were state scholarship recipients had been increasing over the years.
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by Shu Han,
last edited
Aug 9, 2019
The number of Chinese students going abroad for study keeps increasing. In 2017, around 608,400 Chinese students left China to pursue overseas studies. The number increased by 11.74 percent compared to the previous year and makes China the largest country of origin for international students in the world.
Motivations for overseas study
In China, some of the best universities are public universities which get most of their support from the government. Although the number of institutions for higher education and students enrolled in universities inside China have increased significantly in the last few years, the pathways to gaining admission to good universities are still limited. For most people, the national exam “Gaokao” remains the only way to enter a good public university. Therefore, there are students studying abroad to avoid the national exam and to gain admission to a better ranked university. For some study programs, overseas institutions are better equipped and can provide more international academic environment. These qualities attract a lot of Chinese scholars. People who have studied abroad are considered to have a global insight and better language skills, which makes them more competitive in China’s recruitment market.
Financing for overseas study
Developed countries and regions are still the most popular destinations for Chinese students studying abroad. English-speaking countries including the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia are the leading destinations among them. In some countries, Chinese students have already become an important funding source for their local universities. However, since students studying abroad are not all from extremely wealthy families, non-English speaking countries where the universities charge less in tuition fees are becoming increasingly popular. While most students from China were self-funded, relying on their parents’ support, the number of students who were state scholarship recipients had been increasing over the years.
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- Release date
- October 2018
- Region
- China
- Survey time period
- 2007 to 2017
- Supplementary notes
- The values have been rounded to provide a better understanding of the statistic.
Source
- Show sources information
- As a Premium user you get access to the detailed source references and background information about this statistic.
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- Release date
- October 2018
More information
- Region
- China
- Survey time period
- 2007 to 2017
- Supplementary notes
- The values have been rounded to provide a better understanding of the statistic.
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- Number of pre-schools in China between 2007 and 2017
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- Number of secondary vocational schools in China between 2007 nd 2017
- Number of high schools in China between 2007 and 2017
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- Number of students at elementary schools in China between 2007 and 2017 (in millions)
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- Number of students at high schools in China between 2007 and 2017 (in millions)
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- Number of foreign students studying in China from 2009 to 2018, by source of funding
- Number of college and university students from the United States studying in China between 2006/07 and 2016/17*
- Number of students from China studying abroad between 2007 and 2017 (in thousands)
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- Number of students studying in the European Union (EU) for a degree from Scottish higher education (HE) providers in 2016/17, by type of degree
- Number of students studying wholly in the European Union (EU) for a degree from Northern Irish higher education (HE) provider in 2016/17, by type of degree
- Share of Pakistani tertiary students studying abroad from 2005 to 2013*
- Share of Mongolian tertiary students studying abroad from 2005 to 2013*
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