Universities seek greater enrolment from abroad

China's culture and economy may attract overseas students, but the education system does not. And that's a big problem because the government is trying to attract more foreign students as part of an internationalisation strategy, in an attempt to grab a slice of the international education market, writes Yang Yang for China Daily.

Language barriers, career prospects and teaching facilities are denting the enthusiasm of international students considering studying in China. Washington University student Samuel Goldstein, for example, is spending a gap year in China. But instead of applying to a Chinese university, he wants to attend a satellite campus of an American university, which he believes will guarantee quality education.

In 2011, there were approximately 4.3 million internationally mobile students in tertiary education worldwide, with 77,400 studying at colleges in China, according to OECD statistics. According to the Chinese Education Ministry's action plan, China will host 500,000 international students at all levels by 2020, becoming the top Asian destination. The number of overseas college and university students is expected to reach 150,000.
Full report on the China Daily site