China Education Yearbook 2009

2008 a number of foreign students, who study in China, consisted 223 499 people. For the first time the rate exceeded 200 thousand. In comparison with 2007 year the number of foreign students (who came from 189 countries) increased by 14.32%. China high education association cites this data. According to the rate of students who study in China Russia takes the fifth place (after South Korea, Japan, USA and Vietnam). The number of Russian students in China in 2008- 7 200 people, RIA PrimaMedia was reported in consulting company Optim Consult.

2008 is the largest number of year since founding of New China, the largest number of international students studying in China, the largest number of countries and regions, the largest number of schools admitting foreign students.

1. Statistics by study duration:

The long-term students (6 months or more, including 6 months) is 165002, 73.83% of the total number of international students, 20839 more than 2007, and up14.46% on last year’s same period.
The short-term students (under 6 months) are 58497, 26.17% of the total number of international students, 7157 more than 2007, and up13.94% on last year’s same period.

Chart 1: Statistics by study duration

2. Statistics by Continent

The number of foreign students from Asia are still up, reaching 152,931 people, accounted for 68.43% of the total foreign students; 32,461 in Europe, accounting for 14.52%; the Americas 26,559, accounting for 11.88%; Africa 8,799 names, accounting for 3.94%; Oceania 2,749, accounting for 1.23%.

Chart 2: statistics by continent

3. Statistics by country

Among 189 countries and regions, the top ten countries where the students come from are: Korea: 66,806, the USA: 19914, Japan: 16,733, Vietnam: 10,396, Russia: 8,939, Thailand: 8,476, India: 8,145, Indonesia: 7,084, Kazakhstan: 5,666, Pakistan, 5,199.

Chart 3: Statistics by country

4. Statistics by financial source

The number of Chinese government students is 13526, accounted for 6.05% of the total number.

The number of self supported students is 209983, accounted for 93.95% of the total amount.

Statistics for Chinese government scholarships for foreign students

According to China's and educational exchanges between the countries concerned agreements and exchange programs, our 171 countries to provide 13,516 Chinese government scholarship, accounting for 6.05% of total health in China, compared with an increase of 3,365 people in 2007.

“China is a perspective developing country. The result of economic rapid growth is more popularity of the language classes and study in China. Beside it, the Chinese language becomes fashionable”, Optim Consult executive Evgeniy Kolesov thinks. “Perhaps today according to the rate of foreign students PRC legs behind many other countries, but in near years this rate will increase”, Chinese expert believes.

According to the PRC Ministry of finance, in 2009 the government assigns 29.1 million US dollars on education. In comparison with 2008 it’s by 23.9% more. A special attention was paid to a public compulsory education, especially for settlements of rural areas.