Overseas study likely to regain popularity in China
Many Chinese students, who found it unsafe to go to study abroad in the past three years, are now reconsidering their decision
BEIJING – Last year, Liu Zitong shelved her plan to study abroad due to COVID-19 and other safety concerns, and instead prepared for the national postgraduate entrance exam to enroll in a Chinese university.
However, after the 22-year-old senior undergraduate student performed poorly in the exam, she decided to sign up for tutoring courses at Beijing-based overseas education consultancy EIC Education.
“I have always longed to study abroad to experience a different lifestyle and broaden my horizons. English was my preferred subject in school, so it is easy for me to pass the language threshold for overseas study,” she said.
Liu is looking at options in Singapore and Hong Kong because her parents are worried about her safety in other countries and regions where Chinese students have been discriminated against.
Like Liu, many Chinese students, who found it unsafe to go to study abroad in the past three years, are reconsidering their decision.
The number of Chinese students studying abroad this year is likely to reach or even exceed the level before COVID-19 hit in 2019, with a strong recovery already seen in the sector after travel restrictions were lifted, according to several overseas education consultancies.
Liu Wei, vice-president of New Channel International Education Group, said the number of online, in-person and phone call inquiries for overseas study increased by 45 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2023.
“The overseas study market is highly likely to return to its pre-pandemic levels this year and the number of students pursuing their studies abroad will increase steadily in the future,” he said.
This is mainly due to the fact that the demand for international education has not decreased. The tough competition in getting into good schools and finding decent jobs in China has also prompted students to look for high-quality education opportunities abroad, he said.
The pandemic had dealt a major blow to enrollment in foreign universities, so now it is a good time for Chinese students to study abroad, he added.
Wang Ting, deputy general manager of EIC Education Beijing Branch, said their number of applications for overseas study grew by 46 percent in the first quarter of 2023 compared with the same period last year.
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