The "2015 White Paper on China Overseas Study" was recently published by Vision Overseas, a subsidiary of New Oriental which is one of China's largest overseas education agents. The report, based on 3,700 questionnaires carried out across 25 Chinese cities, has a number of useful insights on Chinese students and parents' attitudes towards overseas education at all levels. In total, 12 per cent of respondents had overseas study plans at the secondary level, while 35 per cent were planning to study undergraduate degrees and 51 per cent were interested in postgraduate study. However, among those interested in studying in the UK, only 9 per cent were interested in secondary education while 59 per cent were planning to study a postgraduate course.

Among parents interested in sending their children abroad for study, 42 per cent were middle or senior managers, while a further 20 per cent were the heads of companies, enterprises or organizations, showing that most parents who want their children to study abroad have successful careers and the financial means for their children to do so. However, over a quarter of parents describe themselves as "ordinary workers". According to Yu Zhongqiu, vice-president of Vision Overseas, this shows that "studying abroad is no longer a privilege of students from rich families". The survey finds that, among respondents making plans to go abroad at upper secondary level, the decision to go abroad is taken by the family as a whole in 40 per cent of cases, while 38 per cent of the time the decision is made by one or both parents and 22 per cent of the time the student decides for themselves.

Another influential consultancy report by the Hurun Research Institute also discusses international education in the UK. According to the “UK Engaging the Chinese Private Sector 2015”, the UK is the top-choice destination at secondary level for the children of so-called high net worth individuals, while at university and post-graduate level the UK is, together with the US, part of the "Big Two". Among its eight key findings, the report states that Master’s courses and boarding schools have been the most important drivers of personal connections with Chinese entrepreneurs. Another trend identified in this report is the age Chinese parents are looking to send their children to study overseas, saying that “as little as five years ago, it would have been at the age of 23 to study for a masters, but now it is 16, to get in two years at sixth form, which gives them a better stab at a top university”.

Analysis by Liu Xiaoxiao, Education Services Manager and Kevin Prest, Senior Analyst:

Thanks to the on-going strength of the domestic economy and demand among middle-class families for an alternative to the fiercely competitive National University Entrance Examination (gaokao) system, the number of school-age Chinese students going overseas is continuing to grow. According to the most recent census from the Independents Schools Council, there are currently 5,683 Mainland Chinese pupils in UK independent schools with parents living overseas, a 30 per cent increase over the previous academic year. However, this figure is still less than a quarter of the 23,562 Chinese secondary students in the US in 2013, as well as falling short of the 8,600 Chinese students studying in Canada at secondary level or below in 2013 or the 8,386 Chinese pupils attending Australian schools in 2014.

Sources:
1. http://liuxue.xdf.cn/special/event/2015_white_book/
2. http://www.hurun.net/EN/ArticleShow.aspx?nid=11640
3. http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2015-06/19/content_21048553.htm