15,000 students enrolled in Chinese colleges transferred to U.S. universities last year, says expert
While most Chinese students are celebrating their college offers throughout July, some are busy seeking advice on studying overseas.
"They are either not satisfied with their majors, or they failed gaokao," said He Chugang, general manager of the South China region of Amber Education, an overseas study consultancy.
The number of currently enrolled college students seeking overseas studies is growing, He said.
"Once they have applied successfully, they either transfer to overseas universities, continue their college programs, or give up the years they've spent in Chinese universities and start over abroad," He said.
Figures from the Ministry of Education show that China had 459,800 students going abroad for education last year. More than half of them headed to the United States. According to the 2014 Open Doors Report on International Education Exchange, nearly 280,000 students from the Chinese mainland went to study in the U.S., of which 110,000 were about to enter college.
"These students are not only the 'bad and rich' students who failed gaokao and bought alternative opportunities overseas. On the contrary, more and more of them are the determined ones knowing that Chinese higher education cannot cater to their needs," he added.
He estimated that about 30 percent of Chinese students in undergraduate programs abroad are transfer students or those who studied in Chinese universities before.
Pragmatism sought
Compared with overseas undergraduate programs, domestic ones focus more on theory and pay less attention to practical applications, He said. So, students who seek more pragmatic studies find that overseas programs better cater to their needs.
Li Xiaolei was one of them. The 27-year-old made a life-changing decision in her early 20s. She dropped out from Guangzhou University after two years of study and started over in Sheffield Hallam University in the United Kingdom.
Li, explaining her motivation to start over in the UK, said: "In Chinese universities, design programs are usually under the school of art and require previous painting training. My family wanted me to focus on gaokao instead of devoting much time to drawing in high school. ... But I have always wanted to be a designer. I just could not let it go, even though I had entered college."
More undergrads eye foreign courses
By gathering information about design programs in overseas universities, Li found that British universities do not require previous extensive art training to enter design programs.
"I dragged my parents to an education expo. This time, I gained their full support," she said.
Li now owns a design studio in Guangzhou and enjoys her work.
Big change
Ming Lei, director of the U.S. Undergraduate Department of Vision Overseas under the New Oriental group, has seen growth in the number of students transferring to U.S. universities since 2010.
According to Ming, before 2010 it was a very small number. In 2010, about 2,000 students made the transfer. Last year, the number reached 15,000. In 2013, international joint programs attracted many transfer students.
"It is reasonable growth considering that the number of students seeking overseas study is soaring. ... It is hardly a possibility to transfer in Chinese universities. Since parents and students have found out it is possible to transfer to U.S. universities, the numbers have increased," Ming said.
Whether transferring or starting over, it takes time. Li Xiaolei saw the experience of gaokao and two years in Guangzhou University as valuable assets.
"I joined an advertisement design club at Guangzhou University, and I am glad that I had the opportunity to understand student life in a domestic university," she said.
