China’s higher education system witnessed quite a few dramatic institutional changes in recent years. The state has been making attempts to increase the quantity of higher education opportunities through massive expanding of higher education’s capacity. With a strong conviction to enhance the global competitiveness of top universities, master plans for developing world-class universities and disciplines were initiated, and talent programs were adopted to attract global high-skilled talent to HEIs in China to enhance the teaching and research capability of HEIs. In recent years, HEIs have been granted larger institutional autonomy with greater accountability. Higher education in China has experienced dramatic institutional changes in recent years and has made great achievements and gained international acclaim. More and more higher education opportunities have been provided for students, and an increasing number of leading scholars in the world have been attracted to HEIs in China.

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.

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.

Chinese universities have a growing reputation

Whether you intend to secure a graduate job or continue studying at postgraduate level, the reputation of your university is important for your future prospects. Chinese universities are increasingly well respected; the number included in major global university rankings has risen significantly over the past five years, particularly compared with the UK, which has fallen in many rankings. In 2011, there were only six Chinese universities in Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings, whereas in 2015-2016 there were 37, more than either Canada or Australia.

The government is investing heavily in 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.

Great for your carrer

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. The experience allows you to be an open-minded person, ready to adapt and be flexible, which at the end of the day is what every employer is looking for. Studying in China gives you experience about how things work in this part of the world and helps you to become more independent.

China is a big country so you should know there can be significant differences regarding prices and living costs depending on each region. On average, international students spend around US$4,000 for accommodation fees and about US$2,000 for other living costs (such as food, transportation, etc.) per year. So, that's a student monthly budget of at least 500 USD.