The latest data shows that more and more Chinese mainland students are choosing to study Xi in Asia rather than the West. While part of the reason for this trend is the relatively low cost, experts say the high failure rate of taking entrance exams for higher degrees at Chinese universities is a key factor.
Zha Qiang, an associate professor of education at York University in Canada, said that the main motivation for Chinese students to apply to Asian universities is that Chinese students can obtain advanced degrees at affordable pricesThe second reason is that "admission to graduate programs in China is very competitive".
According to a survey by a private education consulting agency in China, the proportion of applicants who fail the postgraduate examination and then apply to Asian universities is between 40% and 66%.
Last year, about 3 million candidates failed to get into graduate programs due to increased competition — many students retook the exam multiple times to improve their scores — and that number could increase to 4 million this year, according to official data.
"Study Nearby".
Choosing a place closer to home is also a factor in the growing interest of Chinese students in studying abroad destinations in Asia. New Oriental Education & Technology Group released the "2023 Study Abroad in China***" released last month
He noted that the number of Chinese students going to Southeast Asia is "increasing year by year". The report notes that at least 100,000 Chinese students are in Southeast Asia, noting that staying close to home has become important in the wake of the pandemic, while also highlighting the region's relative ease of acculturation. Although the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada are still the main study destinations for Chinese students, "studying nearby" has become a new trend for undergraduates, and the choice of master's and doctoral degrees has become more cautious. Epidemic restrictions were lifted. For example, according to the annual release for the past nine years***, the number of Chinese students studying in Thailand has doubled in five years. According to a survey conducted by New Oriental's Vision Overseas Consulting firm, while the U.S. remains the most popular study destination for undergraduates, with 34 percent of respondents choosing the U.S., this percentage is down from 45 percent in 2019. More than 9,550 Chinese students in 34 provinces. Between 2019 and 2023, the proportion of students going to the United States for postgraduate studies dropped from 45% to 30%, while the proportion of students going to Hong Kong increased from 14% to 22%, and Singapore from 9% to 15%.
**Shows that the proportion of students who have gone to the UK and Canada has remained relatively unchanged over the past five years.
In Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, Southeast Asia's major study destinations, Chinese students currently account for the highest proportion of foreign students. Among them, the number of Chinese students studying in Malaysia and Thailand has exceeded 60% of foreign students in their respective countries.
Many come from southern China and border provinces, including rural areas, where it is particularly difficult to take exams such as the China Graduate Record Exam.
Another Chinese education group, Phoenix Education, found that many students who travel to Asian countries are applying for graduate school after failing the Chinese graduate exam.
China's Ministry of Education has approved additional graduate student quotas to reduce the number of graduate job seekers, and the unemployment rate of graduates has soared to more than 19 percent this year. However, the number of students who registered for the graduate exam this year was about 4.57 million, compared to 3.7 million in 2021.
According to official estimates in China**, nearly one in five graduates choose to pursue postgraduate studies due to the high unemployment rate among graduates. However, according to the Ministry of Education, about 1.1 million of the 4.5 million graduate applicants were admitted in 2022, accounting for only 24% of those who took the test. The acceptance rate in 2023 is expected to drop below 20%.
**According to the survey, 51% of Chinese employers require graduates returning from studying abroad to have a master's or even a doctorate.
* It is pointed out that with the continuous growth of highly educated talents, the threshold for employers to recruit international students has also been "raised". While finding a job may not be easy, survey data from 2023 shows that graduates with overseas qualifications generally earn higher starting salaries than domestic graduates.
There is a phenomenon of academic qualifications or degree inflation in China. Jobs that were previously suitable for high school graduates now require a college degree, and jobs that are suitable for college graduates now require a master's degree," Strong told University World News. "Parents still want their children to have a better start in the job market, so Southeast Asian countries may be the best option for them to spend less money to get a degree. ”
Malaysia, for example, is home to several top-100 universities and can still be considered prestigious. "Many universities in Asia have an 'open door' policy, making it easier to access than major Western universities," he added.
Mok Ka-ho, vice president of Lingnan University in Hong Kong and an expert on Chinese higher education, also pointed out that it is easy to get a visa to travel to Southeast Asian countries. "In the past few years, North American institutions, especially in the United States, have failed to issue visas for Chinese students. So, if you're a Chinese student, you might consider going somewhere else. ”
Mo added: "China also has a policy of reaching out to Southeast Asia and strengthening relations, not only in terms of financial cooperation, but also in terms of people-to-people exchanges through ASEAN countries. "Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Some ASEAN countries also welcome Chinese students after graduation. If they want to find a job, they can stay in the country. Mo said.
Xi in Southeast Asia seems to be good for job prospects, especially for graduates in the business and tourism service industries. "Students go abroad to 'gild' their academic qualifications," said a tutor at an exam tutoring agency in Guangzhou, Guangdong province.
Recruitment**Zhaopin's "2022 China Returnee Employment Survey Report" released this year pointed out that the number of students returning to China to find jobs in Asian countries such as Japan, Singapore, and Malaysia has increased significantly. Compared to last year, the number of Malaysian fresh graduates looking to return home will increase by 66 per cent and Singapore by 37 per cent, the report said7%。
According to the supported Education Malaysia Global Services (the agency responsible for promoting Malaysia as a study destination), the number of international students applying to study in Malaysia has increased by 31% compared to last year. Chinese students are the largest group, with a 15% increase in applications in 2022 compared to 2021 and 43% of all applications in 2022.
According to Thailand's Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, 14,423 Chinese students studied Xi at Thai universities in 2022. In 2020 before the pandemic, 70% of them were at private universities. Chinese students account for about half of the total number of foreign students.
Many international schools in Thailand serve as a springboard to overseas universities and are especially popular with middle-class Chinese families. In Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, 40 percent of Chinese students are in such schools.
However, education agents have also noticed that as studying abroad in Asia has become more popular, some institutions have become more stringent in their application requirements. Singapore, for example, has increased the IELTS (English as a Foreign Language) requirement for certain subjects and has increased postgraduate entry scores.
In Asia, Singapore and Hong Kong are often among the top five destinations for Chinese students to study abroad for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, while Japan is also in the top five destinations for doctoral Xi. In 2019, only 10% of students chose these destinations.
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