A General Directorate of Education and Science (DGEEC) survey revealed that Chinese students are in large number trooping to study in Portugal higher education institutions.
The DGEEC survey discovered that this had been a reoccurring trend growing since the 2011-2012 school year when 336 Chinese students were registered to 1,296 registered in 2018-2019.
It further revealed that many Chinese students are mainly studying language-related courses, law and management, and administration courses at various undergraduate, master and doctorate levels.
The National Access Competition (CNA), with data made available at DGEEC, said that between 2011 and 2019, there have been 6,568 registrations of Chinese students at universities and polytechnics in Portugal.
The immense majority of Chinese students attend or have attended public education in Portugal throughout this period are numbered at 5,606 pupils. While the private sector record 962 pupils.
Apart from Chinese nationals, the total number of international students in Portugal has reportedly increased yearly, as well as the number of applicants for residency permits in the country reaching 416,600 in 2017.
Lisbon had the highest number of student enrolments in the total for the period under analysis (3,820), followed by Aveiro (710), Braga (523), Coimbra (446) and Porto (434).
These figures include the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR). Universities received 5,915 pupils and polytechnics 653.
Portugal also record rise in Brazilian student
Recent data shared by the Portuguese government also revealed that 12,200 Brazilians enrolled in the Portuguese higher education system in 2017, the most numerous nationalities among 42,500 international students.
In 2006, data showed 1,900 Brazilian students enrolled in Portugal, meaning numbers have grown by 540 percent over the last decade.
This was part of a general trend seeing Brazilian nationals moving to Portugal, as Foreign and Frontiers Service (SEF) reported 85,400 Brazilians were living in the country in 2017, by far the most significant foreign community.
The Portuguese government has eased the student visa process with initiatives such as reducing compliance costs and using ICT to deliver better public services.
For Brazilian students, the process is even more straightforward as more than 30 Portuguese universities accept the National Secondary School Examination (ENEM) for admission.
Research by Uniplaces, a service designed for students to book accommodation, shows Brazilians as the most numerous nationalities, making up 15 percent of the international student body.
The numbers are still going up despite cuts to educational programs funded by the Brazilian government such as Science without Borders.
UK record surge in Chinese students
The United Kingdom (UK) also saw the number of Chinese students applying for undergraduate study jump by 30 percent this year, according to data released by the Universities and Colleges Admission Service.
According to the centralized admission service for UK higher education, a total of 19,760 Chinese students applied to UK universities during the 2019 admission cycle, compared to 15,240 the year before.
It also stated that the number of international applicants from countries outside the European Union increased by about 8 percent. In contrast, the number from elsewhere in the EU increased by 2 percent.
Notably, Students from China also make up the single largest group of international students in the US. Their numbers have grown, and many US universities have reportedly come to rely on Chinese undergraduates who can pay full tuition to help balance their budgets.
