As many as 200,000 Chinese students will leave the country to study overseas this year. This is thanks to the one of the toughest domestic employment environments ever, as well as the improved affordability and increasing attractiveness of overseas school policies.
For 840 thousand high school students who chose not to take the college entrance exams a month ago, and up to two more million who will not be accepted by the school they applied to, studying in another country is another option.
In fact, overseas higher education has been a growing trend for high school graduates in China.
Zhu Yanmin, President JJL Overseas Education, said, "So far this year, high school students account for 40 to 45 percent of our customers. Every day we have 20 to 30 of them visitors, 40 percent more than the same period last year."
Universities in countries like Australia, Canada, the UK and the US realize that attracting students from emerging economies like China can increase their revenues.
Universities in South Korea and Singapore are also gearing up to lure Chinese students.
Lu Aihua, Consultant Chivast Education International, said, "The South Korea government has cut tuition for overseas students by 30 to 50 percent, to a level that's much lower than its local students. "
Chinese students in South Korea has surged from 10 thousand in 2004 to 20 thousand now. Eastern European countries like Ukraine and Belarus also plan to attract thousands of Chinese students in the next five years.
(CCTV July 13, 2009)