Chinese students join rat race to study abroad as job prospects dim amid slowing economy
- China’s college students continue to flock abroad for higher education out of dissatisfaction with the domestic education system
- Applications to study overseas soared by over 23 per cent in 2022 from a year earlier, with Master’s programmes the primary choice for Chinese students
After taking an international English proficiency test for non-native speakers six times in a year at the cost of over 10,000 yuan (US$1,387), Jennie Zhan finally achieved her desired score in February.
The 22-year-old, who graduated from the biological science programme at university in Fujian province in June, needed a minimum score of seven out of nine on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) to pursue her postgraduate ambitions.
And in May, Zhan received an offer from Georgetown University in Washington to study bioinformatics – a field of science that develops methods and software tools for understanding biological data – having opted not to take the domestic postgraduate yankao entrance exam
“I wanted to open my eyes, seeing different and various ways of thinking and lifestyles in foreign countries,” said Zhan.
I feel like my time is not being respected
Around 4.7 million students signed up for the 2023 national exam for postgraduate enrolment, with around 20 per cent of university graduates moving on to higher education amid pressure to secure employment.
But Zhan dislikes the ideological and political education classes and conferences that are mandatory at Chinese universities.
