UK Surpasses US as Preferred Study Destination for Students

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This year, the United Kingdom has surpassed the United States as the preferred destination for Chinese students' international studies for the first time ever.

As reported by China Daily, a recent survey for the annual report on Chinese Students’ Overseas Study shows that 42% of the survey participants favored the UK as a study destination, whereas the US was the preferred choice by only 37%, a 6% decrease from last year. 6,673 students and parents participated in the survey, which was administered by Vision Overseas Consulting Co from January to March.

The report recognized that the shift in preferences between the two countries was partially influenced by tense relations with the US, as well as benefits to studying in the UK such as lower tuition costs and better post-study work visa offers, despite the uncertainty created in the region due to ongoing Brexit negotiations.

42% of those surveyed favored the UK as a study destination

Students Transferring Away From Us

Raymond Wong, a graduate from Dulwich College Beijing (DCB) recently transferred from a US to a UK university and cites a variety of factors including tuition and safety as contributing to his decision.

“I’m an architectural student who grew up in Beijing, initially, I studied at Parsons School Of Design in New York and am now planning to transfer to Central Saint Martins in London… For a similar education – and arguably even a better one – the tuition fee in the UK is far cheaper compared to the US.”

Another would be safety, within the last few months during my study in the US I witnessed many incidents that raised concerns of safety to my parents. There were a few attacks on Asian students near union square which is right next to a university, it was like hit and runs. A friend of mine got punched in the face and the dude just ran away yelling something along the lines of ‘get that virus out of here’. Lastly, as of right now, Parsons has decided to host the fall semester online while most universities in London will still be open, and having experienced online classes, a face to face class is much better for learning.”

The kinds of racist incidents that Wong describes are unfortunately not unique to the US. With the recent outbreak of COVID-19, there has been a spike in racist hate crimes towards Chinese students studying abroad around the world. In Australia, two students attending the University of Melbourne were allegedly told “we’re going to kill you” and “get out of our country”. In the US, two children (ages two and six) were stabbed in Texas Sam’s Club because the alleged perpetrator thought the family was Chinese and contributing to the spread of coronavirus. Additionally, many refer to the virus in a discriminatory way such as “Chinese Virus” or “Kung-Flu”.

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2020 Overseas Enrollment Figures Unclear

For the past few years, the number of Chinese students studying overseas has increased by 8.8% year-on-year, with 622,100 Chinese people chose to study abroad in 2018. However while the picture of preferred enrollment destinations in 2020 takes shape, one thing still remains unclear: how many Chinese students will choose to study abroad at all, in light of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

In the China Daily report, Sun Tao, the president of Beijing New Oriental Vision Overseas Consulting Co. Ltd predicted a downturn in numbers. “Students pursuing overseas study declined in 2003 and 2004 after the SARS epidemic, and we predict a similar, if not, a sharper decline in the number of students going to study abroad this year and next year” he said.

The figure of how many Chinese students will study abroad next semester remains unclear

Chinese students choose to study overseas due to a range of factors, including greater expected income levels after graduation, prestige, a more diverse learning experience and international career opportunities, as well as simply avoiding the need to sit the Gaokao, the famously rigorous university entrance exam for Chinese high school graduates.

While the current climate of both increased racist incidents against Chinese and Asian students, and the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to dampen the desire to study abroad, the long-term advantages of doing so still remain and it is likely that as the danger posed by the pandemic decreases, overseas enrollment figures will continue to rise.

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With additional reporting by Nicole Sun.

Images: Vadim Sherbakov (via Unsplash), Pixabay, Macau Photo Agency (via Unsplash), giphy

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