"Backward Corporate Culture" Sparks Study Abroad Boom Among Chinese Youth... To the UK, Not the US

Preference for UK Universities Increasing Over US Colleges

It has been reported that the overseas study boom is reigniting locally in China. However, this time, British universities, rather than American ones, are attracting the attention of international students.

Chinese media outlet 'Jiemian News' focused on the overseas study boom sweeping China on the 28th (local time). The outlet introduced the case of a man, Mr. A, who graduated from a public university in the United States in 2018, returned to China, and joined a state-owned enterprise.

Mr. A lived a comfortable life working as a financial analyst but soon quit his job and went back to study in the United States. The main reasons cited were China's bureaucratic corporate culture, frequent overtime, and high work intensity.

Mr. A is currently studying a well-known master's program in computer science in the United States and said, "Among the foreign students enrolled in this program, Chinese students are the most numerous. It is also advantageous for finding employment locally after graduation."

It has been reported that the number of Chinese people going to Western universities aiming for reemployment overseas is increasing again. The founder of the American study abroad consulting firm 'Houren Study Abroad' explained to Jiemian News, "The number of students going abroad is increasing again. They prefer science and engineering majors such as computer science and data, which are advantageous for local employment."

Chinese international student / Photo by Yonhap News

However, unlike in the past, it has been reported that preference for British universities rather than American ones is increasing this time.

According to the 'China Study Abroad White Paper' published in 2020 by the Chinese study abroad consulting firm 'Xindongfang,' British universities surpassed the United States as the most preferred destination for Chinese students that year.

As of September 2021, the number of Chinese student visa issuances for the UK reached 135,500, a staggering 157% increase compared to the previous year. Factors influencing the change in student preferences include the high cost of studying in the US, quality of education, and strained relations due to US-China tensions.

This is not the first time British universities have benefited from the US-China conflict. In 2019, the British daily 'The Times' reported that after frequent trade and diplomatic frictions between the US and China, the number of Chinese students enrolling in British universities increased by about 30.5% in one year. It was analyzed that some Chinese students who would have gone to American universities chose the UK instead.

In this regard, the British public broadcaster 'BBC' also recently highlighted the 'UK study abroad boom' among Chinese students. A female student studying at the University of Glasgow in Scotland told the BBC, "Compared to Chinese universities, you can express your personal opinions more freely," citing as an advantage that "there is no need to become a standardized person like a product assembled in a factory."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.