The number of Chinese students opting to study abroad, particularly in the United States, has increased by 16.5 percent.
Chinese students deciding to pursue an American higher education has grown significantly in the past year, as reported by the New York-based Institute of International Education.
In addition, the annual Open Doors report revealed that the total foreign enrollments in the U.S. have increased by 8.1 percent, majority of which are students from China.
Chinese students now make up 31 percent of the foreign student population in American universities. This is a huge jump from the percentage of the second largest--Indians--that make up only 12 percent of the whole foreign student population.
As the number of students from China interested to study in the United States grows, consulting companies and agencies that provide guidance on the application process grows as well.
A senior manager at the Chinamerica Educational Development Consulting Associates, a company primarily designed to help facilitate the application processes of Chinese students wanting to study in American universities, explained the sudden boost in number of interested students.
"Students have more choices in America than in other countries as it has the largest number of world-known schools with high-quality education," the senior manager said.
Interested students, however, are informed of how challenging and difficult it is to get into one of the renowned schools because of the stiff competition. As such, they are advised to apply for at least eight schools at different levels. Among the said American schools, New York University is currently considered the top host for overseas students.
Meanwhile, the number of American students deciding to obtain an education abroad has also increased significantly. For the past 15 years, the number has already more than doubled.
One of the most popular overseas destinations for a higher education is the United Kingdom. Among the countries hosting American students, China is in the fifth place since the 2006-2007 academic year.