Listen to this articleHigher education in China has gone from strength to strength in recent years, with an increasing number of institutes appearing among the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2018. Directives including Project 211 and Project 985 – which aim to improve the standards of the top 100 and 40 Chinese universities respectively – combined with huge national investment has seen China’s reputation in the education sector rocket up the rankings. And who wouldn’t want to study there? An enormous country, home to more than 20 per cent of the people on Earth, China has one of the fastest developing economies. From cuisine to culture, China offers something completely unique. The huge country is home to some of the most diverse and stunning landscapes on the planet; from the Rainbow Mountains in Zhangye, to the fishing villages along the coast and even the incomprehensibly vast cities that continue to expand, there’s something in China for everyone. Students looking to study abroad have an increasing number of options and China is becoming more and more popular, according to research from Student.com, which provides accommodation for international students. Here are five reasons to consider joining the throngs of international students already there.
1Chinese universities have a growing reputation
Chinese universities are increasingly well respected; the number included in major global university rankings has risen significantly over the past five years. Globally, there are three commonly cited international rankings of world universities – the Academic Rankings of World Universities (or ARWU – formerly known as the Shanghai Jiao Tong Rankings), the Times Higher Education World Rankings, and the QS World Rankings. Chinese universities have been steadily improving their rankings on these international platforms for the past decade.
For example, in the QS university ranking in 2016, there were only 4 Universities in the top 100 but in 2018 there are 6 universities making their name into the top 100. Tsinghua University was on number 25 in the world in 2016 but in 2018 Tsinghua ranked no 14 in the word universities. Similarly, Peking university has improved its ranking from 41 to 30 these in these two years.
In 2015, China announced its largest education development scheme to date – the “Double
First-Class initiative”, a plan that aims at increasing the global recognition of China’s university system by 2049 (the 100-year anniversary of the establishment of the People’s Republic of China). An implementation plan and list of universities and disciplines were announced in 2017. The Double First-Class Initiative identifies 42 Universities of having the potential to develop as world class. This includes all of the 39 universities from the “985” project plus 3 former “211” project universities. Furthermore, 465 disciplines from 140 universities (including the 42 universities) have been identified as having the potential to become world class disciplines.
The QS BRICS University Rankings, published in 2017, sees Chinese universities making up almost a third of the institutions featured – 94 positions out of a total of 300. The BRICS ranking has been published each year since 2013 and aims to highlight the strongest universities in the five emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and China boasts the most entrants in the ranking among the five countries, as well as seven spots in the top 10.
2Large Number of Scholarships for International Students
Financial support is an important factor in the decision to study abroad and the Chinese government is offering a wide range of funding opportunities to attract international students, including more than 40,000 scholarships at 277 institutions. In 2015, 40 per cent of all international students new to China received government sponsorship. The number of scholarships available has increased fivefold since 2006. Eligibility depends on nationality, but everyone should be able to find at least one that they can apply for. Scholarship schemes include the Chinese Government Scholarship Program, Chinese University Scholarship Program, Local government scholarship program, Confucius Institute Scholarships, CAS-TWAS fellowship, the Chinese Government
Scholarship Program for EU, Study in Asia Scholarship Scheme, and China/AUN Scholarship. Some institutions have their own scholarship schemes, awards, and bursaries, and there are some that are specific to a particular city or region; the Beijing Government Scholarship for international Students, for example, assists bright students with assistance towards studies cost in Beijing.
3You’ll be joining a growing trend
China is an increasingly popular destination for students from around the world, with the number of international students in China doubling in the past 10 years. China is already the fourth most popular destination for travel generally and has the third-largest population of international students, behind the US and the UK. This number has been growing by an average of 10 per cent a year for the past 10 years, a far quicker growth rate than any other popular study-abroad destination. Many academic institutions have advisers who can assist foreign students with any help they may be eligible for, so it is well worth contacting them and giving it a shot!
4There are more options than ever
Over the past 10 years, international visitors and students have been going “deeper” into China, choosing to travel to a wider range of cities than before. In the past, Shanghai and Beijing were the only cities where it was common to see international students. In 2006, nearly 50 per cent of international students were in Beijing or Shanghai, but this has fallen to 32 per cent. Today, there are 13 cities across China with more than 10,000 international students, with seven cities having more than 20,000 students. Popular cities include Guangdong in the south of China and Liaoning, north of Beijing.
5It could be great for your career
Knowledge and experience of China is an increasingly valuable asset in many industries. As the fourth most popular destination for international travel, with nearly 12 million business trips to China in 2015, the country is growing in economic and cultural significance. Experience of China and Chinese, which is the third most popular language to learn in the world, could give you a great career boost.
6Quality of Education and International Recognition
China is striving to build more world-class universities, and investing heavily in higher education. Aside from China’s unique Chinese language, calligraphy, martial arts and other cultural subjects,
Chinese degree programs in majors such as engineering, science, medicine, economics and trade, MBA as well as finance are highly revered. As for those who don’t know any Chinese, many universities offer degree programs taught in English, so you can earn your degree while learning the most widely spoken language in the world. The academic qualifications awarded by Chinese universities are recognized by most developed countries. The Chinese government has signed an agreement on mutual recognition of academic qualifications with a number of countries including the United States, Britain, France, Japan and 65 other countries and regions.
7Employment Advantages
When it comes to economics, China has been the world’s fastest growing country for the past 30 years. Even during the financial crisis, China’s economic growth has maintained a level of 8%, a pace unthinkable in other countries. China’s GDP recently surpassed Japan’s to become the world’s second largest economy after the United States. The world’s top 500 companies all do business in China, with many choosing to base their Asia-Pacific headquarters in the bustling Chinese cities of Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing.
The current rise of China has made it very clear that people who can speak Chinese and have firsthand experience of living in China are going to have a great advantage in terms of employment. China serves as a huge market for multinational corporations, and employers are well aware that a real understanding of China, Chinese culture and Chinese people is a big plus for those who want to become the world’s next generation of leaders.
