The proportion of Chinese graduates who studied abroad in 2009 increased significantly compared to 2008, according to a recent report on study abroad programs in China released by Mycos, an education data research firm, on Aug. 26.
The report shows that the proportion of Chinese graduates from the "China 211 Universities," also known as "China's 100 Universities of the 21st Century," who studied abroad was obviously higher than that of the universities not included in the "China 211 University" project.
Moreover, the proportion of 2009 graduates from the "China 211 Universities" who studied abroad is nearly 2 percent, an increase of more than 0.6 percent compared with 2008 and the proportion of 2009 graduates from the universities not part of the "China 211 Universities" who studied abroad reached nearly 0.7 percent, an increase of more than 0.4 percent compared with 2008.
In regards to the majors of the graduates who went abroad to study, engineering majors accounted for the largest number out of the total number of Chinese graduates who studied abroad. Engineering, literature and management, the three top majors, accounted for more than 70 percent of the total overseas Chinese graduates.
The most popular majors among the Chinese graduates who study abroad are business administration and economics, while mathematics, material science, environmental sciences, agriculture, education and medical science were the least popular.
Nearly 2 percent of the 2009 graduates from the Yangtze River Delta region went abroad to study, the highest proportion in China, and most Chinese graduates who studied abroad aimed at master's degrees, followed by doctorate degrees.
The report shows that nearly 90 percent of 2009 Chinese graduates who studied abroad are financially dependent on their parents and relatives, while 9 percent rely on foreign colleges or institutions, 3 percent depend on the incomes they make from part-time jobs and only 1 percent are supported by the Chinese government or other agencies.
In regard to the futures of the graduates after completing their studies, 36 percent of overseas Chinese students are willing to stay abroad in the short term, and 31 percent of the 2009 graduates are willing to return to China.
Author: NI Guanghui, Peng Cailing, People's Daily Overseas Edition, Aug. 27, 2010.
