Figures show that in 2018 there were a total of 492,185 international students from 196 countries/areas pursuing their studies in 1,004 higher education institutions in China’s 31 provinces/autonomous regions/provincial-level municipalities, marking an increase of 3,013 students or 0.62% compared to 2017. International students in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan are not included in the above data.
1. Number/percent of international students by continent:
|
Continent |
Number |
Percent |
|
Asia |
295,043 |
59.95% |
|
Africa |
81,562 |
16.57% |
|
Europe |
73,618 |
14.96% |
|
America |
35,733 |
7.26% |
|
Oceania |
6,229 |
1.27% |
2. Number of international students by country of origin:
|
Rank |
Country |
Number |
|
No.1 |
South Korea |
50,600 |
|
No.2 |
Thailand |
28,608 |
|
No.3 |
Pakistan |
28,023 |
|
No.4 |
India |
23,198 |
|
No.5 |
United States |
20,996 |
|
No.6 |
Russia |
19,239 |
|
No.7 |
Indonesia |
15,050 |
|
No.8 |
Laos |
14,645 |
|
No.9 |
Japan |
14,230 |
|
No.10 |
Kazakhstan |
11,784 |
|
No.11 |
Vietnam |
11,299 |
|
No.12 |
Bangladesh |
10,735 |
|
No.13 |
France |
10,695 |
|
No.14 |
Mongolia |
10,158 |
|
No.15 |
Malaysia |
9,479 |
3. The top 10 provinces/cities with the largest number of international students:
|
Province/City |
Number |
|
Beijing |
80,786 |
|
Shanghai |
61,400 |
|
Jiangsu Province |
45,778 |
|
Zhejiang Province |
38,190 |
|
Liaoning Province |
27,879 |
|
Tianjin |
23,691 |
|
Guangdong Province |
22,034 |
|
Hubei Province |
21,371 |
|
Yunnan Province |
19,311 |
|
Shandong Province |
19,078 |
|
Province |
Number |
|
Guangxi Province |
15,217 |
|
Sichuan Province |
13,990 |
|
Heilongjiang Province |
13,429 |
|
Shaanxi Province |
12,919 |
|
Fujian Province |
10,340 |
4. Number/percent of international students by education level: 258,122 international students were enrolled in degree programs, accounting for 52.44% of all foreign students, an increase of 16,579 or 6.86% on 2017. There were 85,062 postgraduate-level international students, an increase of 12.28% compared to 2017, of which 25,618 enrolled as doctoral students and 59,444 in master's degrees. 234,063 international students were enrolled in non-degree programs.
5. Number/percent of international students by source of funding: 63,041 international students (12.81%) received Chinese government scholarships, and 429,144 (87.19%) were self-funded.
