Hundreds of thousands of chinese believe the us and europe give them the keys to their careers

Enrollments of Chinese students in US and British universities are expected to hit a record high this year, thanks to the growing number of young Chinese students keen on studying abroad.

"Overseas education is still the best bet for Chinese students to sharpen their competitive edge in the increasingly competitive Chinese job market," says Zong Wa, director of the Beijing International Education Expo held in Beijing between Oct 15 and 16. The big-ticket education expo has helped many prospective Chinese students get first-hand knowledge of foreign universities and also helped in the selection process.

Zong says that while several foreign universities have stepped up activities to attract more Chinese students, it is the US and British universities that are still the top destinations for most Chinese students.                             

While many Chinese students are studying in Britain, others are also attracted by other European countries, such as Germany. [Provided to China Daily]

According to a study conducted by online consultancy firm 18report.com, last year, more than 30 percent of the overseas students from China went to universities in the US, and spent 150,000-250,000 yuan (17,100-28,600 euros, $23,500-39,200) on tuition and living expenses. Over 23 percent of the students chose to study in Britain, with average spending on tuition fees and other overheads roughly 150,000-200,000 yuan.

More than 80 colleges and universities from the US and over 70 universities from Britain took part in the October Beijing expo, all with an eye to roping in more Chinese talent.

"US educational institutions give us the opportunity to sharpen our English skills and come with other attractions like handsome scholarships, development of real-world skills, and better opportunities for further studies," says Zhang Yuting, an 18-year-old high school student from Beijing.

Zhang has already taken the mandatory Special Aptitude Test and the Test of English as Foreign Language and had relatively good scores. "If all goes well, I should be starting off as a human resource student in a US university by next fall," she says.

"Along with my course I also hope to gain some internship experience that will help my career in China."

Industry experts are not predicting how many students will seek admission in US and British universities this year, but are confident the number will be high, and that Chinese students will form the biggest national contingent at US universities.

But such big intakes also need to be matched with friendly immigration measures, experts say.

"With the number of Chinese students increasing, we have to be more efficient in processing student visas," says Mark Lewis, commercial officer at the US embassy in Beijing. Lewis expects the number of Chinese students in US universities to top 150,000 by next year.

Of the 690,923 international students who went to the United States last year, nearly 128,000, or more than 18 percent, were from China, helping the nation overtake India in student numbers in the US, says a recent Open Doors report, published by the Institute of International Education with support from the US Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Like the US, the number of Chinese students in Britain has also been increasing steadily. Although the British government tightened its visa policy for overseas students this year, the number of Chinese students seeking admission has increased.

"The number of Chinese students to Britain will rise by 10 percent this year, and the trend is likely to continue for the next five years," says Zheng Rui, a consultant with the Beijing Yanlun Education Consulting Co.

According to the British Council, China is its largest source of international students, and accounts for 15 percent of its overseas students. At present, there are more than 90,000 Chinese students studying in Britain, with more than 70,000 studying in higher education programs.

"The shorter school year together with the falling value of the pound (against the yuan) has encouraged more Chinese to study in the UK," Zheng says.

Chinese students are also looking to further their education in other European countries. Tertiary education institutions from 18 such countries were present in a big way at the expo and seen hard selling their advantages to Chinese students and parents.

Italy sent its largest-ever delegation, with officials from more than 40 universities, meeting Chinese students.

According to Uni-Italia, an organization that promotes higher education in Italy, the "Turandot plan", which Italy introduced in 2009 to attract Chinese talent proficient in design, art and music, has helped increase the student intake at the country's universities.

"Chinese student intake at Italian universities will grow by 30 percent this year compared with the same period in 2010," says Xing Jianjun, China director of Uni-Italia. By current estimates there are at least 5,000 Chinese students in Italy and they are easily the largest contingent of international students.

"We will further improve our programs to attract more talent from China," Xing says.

Some European countries have also loosened immigration rules to compete for the best and brightest talent.

Josef Goldberger, marketing director of the German Academic Exchange Service, says to further attract overseas talent, Germany plans to increase international student intake from 240,000 to 300,000 at German universities by 2020.

Despite its rigid stance on immigration, the German Parliament in 2007 passed laws enabling easy immigration for foreign porfessionals.

The legislation stipulates that foreign students who have legally stayed in Germany for more than eight years (including study period) and have stable employment can seek German citizenship.

"The German economy is urgently in need of high-quality professionals, especially people proficient in engineering and social sciences," Goldberger says, adding that the immigration policy is an incentive for Chinese professionals.

But the education boom is not all about higher education or master's degrees or doctorates. It has also been triggered by an increase in the number of students pursuing undergraduate studies abroad.

Zong says the boom in undergraduate education has been spurred by the rigid university system in China as more students seek ways to avoid the highly competitive national college entrance exam.

According to the China Education Association for International Exchange, until a few years ago the number of students studying for master's programs accounted for 60 to 70 percent of the overseas students. But in recent years there has been a surge in the number of undergraduate students, it says.

"Chinese students born in the 1990s do not want to go abroad to get a diploma or degree. Most of them are aware of their interests, future career path and professional preferences, and are more pragmatic and rational when choosing educational programs," Zong says.

"Foreign institutions must be aware of this mindset and introduce specialized programs that are more suited to Chinese students."

China has the world's largest number of overseas students, with 1.27 million studying in overseas institutions by the end of last year, according to the Ministry of Education.

Zheng of Beijing Yanlun Education Consulting Co believes the numbers will swell as disposable incomes in China increase in the coming years. Self-financed students are now the largest group of overseas students, and account for over 92 percent of the overall overseas students.

"Chinese students have brought the much-needed funds for foreign colleges and universities facing hardships due to the global economic meltdown. At the same time China is also getting the knowledge and skills that it needs to boost its economic growth," Zheng says.