For 2019, around 600,000 Chinese international students have sought for education abroad.
Chinese international students grow in numbers
Despite topping the annual Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) for 2018, the number of Chinese international students is still on a ceiling-high of 600,000.
Since Shanghai students participated in the annual student assessment, it has been the third time in a row for China to top the PISA rankings.
But even with a reputable assessment of quality education in China, why do 662,100 Chinese international students still go abroad to study?
Students from China that represented the country in proficiency assessment are mostly from Beijing, Jiangsu, Shanghai, and Zhejiang. The selection included top-tier cities and two developed eastern provinces.
Five reasons why going abroad is very enticing
1. Long study hours dissatisfies students
Chinese students rank 1st in PISA’s ranking for most study hours spent daily. On average, Chinese students spend around 55 hours a week studying. The pressure on students to study long hours in China gives them the idea that studying abroad will ease up the stress on their studies.
Most students who come from well-off families are the ones who have easy access to studying abroad.
2. Better education
The United States is home to more than one million international students, with 369,500 of it are Chinese.
According to a study, the education system in China is the reason why more and more Chinese international students are going to the United States. Students call the education system in China as overly assertive and push hellish hours of studying. In the US, many believe that they can get the same quality of education or even better, without submitting themselves to extreme school pressure.
Ironically, parents of international students who went through the same education system in China are also the ones funding their children to study abroad.
Data shows that 90 percent of Chinese international students in the US go to school using private funds; their families personally fund them.
3. Ambition and career
It has become normal for Asian countries to see the US and the UK as a place for greener pastures and career growth. Many Asians worship too much the value of the US Dollars that they tend to forget that people living in the US also spend dollars on their needs and expenses.
But, overall, opportunities in a first world country like the US are far from what home has to offer. And besides, having to finish studies in the US or the UK presents a perfect boost credential wise when applying for a job, especially in China.
Featured image by Hu Ren “The Chinese Consumer Luxury White Paper.” 2012.
