CHINA: Students shop for university courses abroad

More than 20,000 visitors packed the Shanghai East Asia Exhibition Hall last weekend during an annual education fair by overseas universities, writes Liang Yiwen for Shanghai Daily. More than 300 institutes from 14 countries displayed booths at the China Education Expo 2009.

China has become a battlefield for overseas schools with the yuan's rise and the increasing demand for higher education. About 160,000 Chinese students studied abroad at their own cost last year, an increase from 129,000 students in 2007. The number is expected to grow to 200,000 this year, according to the China Education Association for International Exchange.

About 25,000 Chinese students applied to study in the UK from January to July this year, a 20% increase on the same period of last year. In 2008 the total number of students from China studying in Canada was 13,668, a 27% rise, and nearly 20% more Chinese enrolled in US universities last year when the country loosened visa restrictions.
Full report on the Shanghai Daily site