In 2010 265,090 foreign students were studying in China, a number which the Chinese government is aiming to increase to 500,000 by 2020. Deals of cooperation, such as the one recently struck with the US (the aim of which is to get 100,000 studying in China), make this target seem more feasible.

Mansoor Iqbal, Topuniversities.com

Chinese students are well known for their willingness to travel abroad to study. In the 2009/10 academic year, the last year for which statistics are available, an estimated 1.27 million of them were doing so, most of whom (over 90%) relied solely on private funding. This number is likely to continue increasing for the foreseeable future, as more and more Chinese students enrol at foreign universities every year (the 2009 figure of 285,000 represents a 24% increase on the previous year).

However it would be wrong to assume that the traffic was all one way. Heavy investment in China’s universities (though it has come to light recently that some of this investment was unsustainable, leaving many smaller institutions heavily in debt) has brought them into the world’s consciousness, and up in the estimation of many observers of international higher education.

This growing prestige, coupled with the increased openness of the nation in general, measures such the recently announced new human rights action plan, which have helped to improve its image, and an acknowledgement of its growing power on the world stage, has meant that students have began to flock there in their droves. In 2010 265,090 foreign students were studying in China, a number which the Chinese government is aiming to increase to 500,000 by 2020. Deals of cooperation, such as the one recently struck with the US (the aim of which is to get 100,000 studying in China), make this target seem more feasible.

However, for now, students from the West can only make up so many of the numbers. The language, the distance and the differences in culture mean that, for some, it might be a leap too far – at least until Chinese universities can compete with the Ivy League and Oxbridges of this world.

Tempting East Asian students away from strong universities in places like South Korea, Taiwan and even its own territory of Hong Kong – the home of 6 of Asia’s top 50 universities according to the QS Asian University Rankings™ – is a more immediate challenge, and one in which it is beginning to succeed. Over 70,000 South Koreans study there, for example. So, how are Chinese universities convincing student to leave strong institutions in their homelands behind in order to study in the People’s Republic?

Predominantly, it seems to be an acknowledgement of China’s growing salience on the international scene. This is certainly the case for MinYoung You, from South Korea, who is about to start a course in international business at the University of Nottingham’s Ningbo campus: “China’s influence in the world is expanding everyday. I’ve considered studying in Japan but it seemed like studying in China will be much more appropriate for my major.”

Yu Sam Yan, from Hong Kong, is also motivated by the nation’s stature, as well as by practical reasons. “I want to study in China not only for the course (international studies with Spanish), which is not provided in Hong Kong, but also because I would like to broaden my horizons so as to know more about the rapid development of today’s China. I did not even consider studying in other countries.” She has also won a place at the University of Nottingham, Ningbo.

“My parents instilled the belief in me that members of our current generation with a grounding in Chinese culture, and an understanding of international affairs, will be the powerbrokers of the future,” comments Shen Fu Yu, from Taiwan, who will be starting a course in labour relations at Renmin University of China this year.

Her parents’ notions, which also meant she attended a Chinese rather than an international school – generally par for the course for wealthier families such as hers – indicate that perhaps the monopoly Western universities have on ambitious Asian students is not as untouchable as it once seemed. This is echoed by Shen Fu Yu herself, who suggests the prestige of Renmin’s law, business and management departments played a part in her choice. “The university is one of the best in China, so I’ll be rubbing shoulders with the top students from around the country, which will be fun, as well as a challenge.”

It was also the strength of a department, this time of Nankai University’s School of Economics, which played the pivotal role in Hong Konger Huang Huixian’s choice of university: “I am very interested in finance, and the university is very strong in this area,” she reflects. This is particularly noteworthy given the strength of universities in her native Hong Kong in her subject area – in the QS World University Rankings® by Subject, the city has five universities apiece in the Accounting and Finance and the Economics rankings (three and two respectively in the top 50).

With the exception of MinYoung You, who is currently enrolled in classes, this group of young students can all speak fluent Mandarin – which must, of course, make the idea of studying in China much more feasible. The global importance of Mandarin is increasingly acknowledged – perhaps best exemplified by the Swedish government’s recent proposal to make the teaching of Mandarin mandatory at primary school level. Increased global proficiency will almost certainly contribute to a larger influx of students into the nation.

However, it is interesting to note that in the case of the MinYoung You and Yu Sam Yam, the University of Nottingham, Ningbo’s use of English as the medium of teaching was part of the reason that they chose to attend the university. With English language tuition making universities in Hong Kong and Singapore more accessible to students in the West, and many master’s courses in China already being taught in English, it will be interesting to see if it becomes more of a fixture in years to come. The danger of increased English language provision, of course, is the creation of a two-tier system, exacerbated by planned branch campuses from the likes of Duke University and NYU.

Funding can often play a part in a student’s decision regarding where to study, and the Chinese government is known to pump millions of dollars into subsidizing domestic and international students– in the case of the latter, around US$140 million in 2010. But it turns out that none of the four students have won scholarships – though MinYoung is looking to obtain one during her studies.

Private funding is the order of the day, with the occasional mention of a campus job to top up spending money. Though fees are less than in many nations, particularly more expensive ones like the US and the UK, they are certainly not pocket change (the University of Nottingham, Ningbo’s fees are comparable with those of universities in Hong Kong). Financial motivations can, therefore, only be said to account for so much of these students’ decisions – particularly as they will be incurring the day-to-day costs of studying in a China, where many have noted the steadily rising cost of living. This can certainly be taken as a concrete indicator, however slight, of China’s growing regional prestige.

Is there anything that they’re apprehensive about, having taken the leap? Yu Sam Yan, is slightly concerned about the transition from liberal and westernised Hong Kong to more conservative China: “I’m pretty worried about how I’ll adapt to living in Ningbo. It will be hard getting used to a different way of life, and other smaller things, such as internet access.” MinYoung You is also worried about being caught out by what she’s not used to, while Huang Huixian’s main concern is simpler – she is worried about getting used to the weather! Shen Fu Yu, however is relishing the challenge, and, at present, does not feel any anxiety.

Can we take the views of this sample, however small, to mean that at least some potentially mobile students in East Asia are taking China more seriously as a study destination, and turning their back on traditional destinations, such as the US or Australia? Their answers do seem to suggest that this might be at least somewhat the case, but this is complicated by a shared ambition of Yu Sum Yan, Huang Huixian and Shen Fu Yu’s, which sheds a different light on their plans. They all plan to do a postgraduate qualification in the West (in the US or the UK, a Western country, and Europe respectively). MinYoung You wants to work for an international business before doing an MBA – and has previously completed four years of study in the US.

So while it looks like a degree from a Chinese university is an increasingly credible option, this is not yet at the expense of gaining a degree from a Western nation – which is seemingly still viewed as necessary to establish oneself as a cut above. Whether this will always be the case is another question altogether.

Source: Iqbal, Mansoor(2011),"China: the next educational hub of Asia?", www.topuniversities.com, accessed 20 September 2011