The Chinese Social Science Academic Press and Center for China and Globalization (CCG) recently published a report on Chinese students studying in the U.S. According to the report, the number of Chinese students studying in U.S. high schools in 2013 exceeded 30,000. This number had increased sixtyfold over the past decade.
“The 2014 Development Report on Chinese Students Studying Abroad” showed that China has been the biggest source country for students in the U.S. for the fifth consecutive year. Meanwhile, the Chinese students studying abroad have become younger. High school students have become the third largest group of overseas students following graduate and undergraduate students.
The Report disclosed that Canada is the most popular destination country for Chinese high school students. Close to one-third or 32 percent of Chinese students chose to study in Canadian high schools. The U.S., Australia and the UK are in the second, third, and fourth places, following (Canada). In the past seven years, the U.S. has been the most popular destination country for male Chinese high school students (33 percent), while the most popular destination for females is Canada (34 percent). The number of Chinese students who hold F-1 student visas in the U.S. public and private middle and high schools has increased over 60 times in the past decade – from 433 in the 2003 to 2004 school year to 26,919 in the 2012 to 2013 school year.
As for the main reasons for studying abroad, most lie in the relatively flexible overseas education and exam system, more diversified evaluation criteria (for students’ performance), more emphasis on social and practical skills, and more involvement in society. A second most important reason is that many overseas high schools are cradles for world famous top colleges and universities. Those high schools that send many of their graduates to the top U.S. colleges are called “Little Ivy League” by the Chinese. Yet another reason, among others, for the Chinese parents to send their kids overseas at a younger age is that it can help sharpen the kids’ foreign language skills and help the them learn independent living faster.
Source: Qianjiang Evening News, February 26, 2015
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