Summary
In January each year, Chinese universities release graduate outcomes reports showing the destinations of their bachelor’s degree graduates, and in many cases these reports include data on the number of students going overseas for further study. This makes the reports a valuable source of information for UK HEIs looking to recruit Chinese students to their master’s degree programmes.
Chinese HE data research platform Cingta has produced an analysis of the reports published by all Chinese universities that are included in the World Class Universities and Disciplines project. 119 of these institutions provide information on the number of students going on to further study at the postgraduate level, of which 115 include statistics on the number going overseas.
In percentage terms, the university sending the largest proportion of its students overseas was the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE) in Beijing, where almost 35 per cent of all graduates went abroad for further study. This university was followed by Fudan University in Shanghai and the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
However, other universities with bigger student bodies sent a larger total number of students abroad. Over 1,400 graduates from Wuhan University went overseas to pursue master’s degrees in 2018, while four other institutions also sent over 1,000 graduates: Zhejiang University, Sun Yat Sen University, the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, and Zhongnan University of Economics and Law.
The table below gives a complete list of the 119 universities for which overseas study data is available, sorted by the total number of graduates going overseas for postgraduate courses:
University | Bachelor's Degree Graduates | % going on to PG studies (total) | % going on to PG studies overseas | No. going on to PG studies overseas |
Wuhan University | 7,015 | 60.2% | 20.1% | 1,411 |
Zhejiang University | 5,774 | 60.3% | 22.9% | 1,320 |
Sun Yat-sen University | 6,970 | 51.6% | 18.2% | 1,271 |
Zhongnan University of Economics and Law | 5,198 | 44.5% | 22.5% | 1,169 |
University of Electronic Science and Technology of China | 4,851 | 66.9% | 20.7% | 1,004 |
Shanghai University | 4,590 | 41.0% | 21.2% | 973 |
Huazhong University of Science and Technology | 6,837 | 57.7% | 14.0% | 957 |
Sichuan University | 8,988 | 42.7% | 10.6% | 956 |
Shanghai Jiao Tong University | 3,510 | 67.3% | 26.3% | 924 |
Tsinghua University | 3,239 | 78.3% | 26.3% | 852 |
Fudan University | 2,599 | 69.2% | 31.7% | 823 |
Peking University | 2,693 | 74.5% | 30.3% | 817 |
Tongji University | 3,824 | 57.2% | 20.7% | 791 |
Beijing Institute of Technology | 3,553 | 65.2% | 21.1% | 749 |
Renmin University of China | 2,415 | 64.3% | 29.8% | 720 |
Xiamen University | 4,370 | 46.2% | 16.5% | 719 |
University of International Business and Economics | 1,976 | 59.2% | 34.6% | 683 |
Southwestern University of Finance and Economics | 3,634 | 39.5% | 18.7% | 678 |
South China University of Technology | 5,680 | 38.2% | 11.9% | 675 |
Nanjing University | 3,047 | 62.3% | 22.0% | 669 |
Hunan University | 4,690 | 45.9% | 14.1% | 661 |
Beijing University of Technology | 3,280 | 40.2% | 20.1% | 658 |
Central South University | 7,745 | 44.0% | 8.2% | 633 |
Beihang University | 3,135 | 74.9% | 20.1% | 631 |
Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications | 3,260 | 64.1% | 19.2% | 625 |
Jilin University | 9,960 | 45.9% | 6.1% | 604 |
Nankai University | 3,217 | 57.7% | 18.7% | 603 |
Southeast University | 3,972 | 53.0% | 15.1% | 601 |
Dalian University of Technology | 5,859 | 46.6% | 10.2% | 596 |
East China Normal University * | 3,249 | 48.1% | 17.5% | 568 |
Wuhan University of Technology | 8,804 | 43.7% | 6.4% | 567 |
Shandong University | 6,157 | 49.0% | 9.0% | 552 |
Soochow University | 6,461 | 31.6% | 8.4% | 543 |
Tianjin University | 3,997 | 56.7% | 13.3% | 530 |
Jinan University | 3,867 | 29.5% | 13.6% | 526 |
Harbin Institute of Technology | 3,888 | 62.6% | 13.1% | 511 |
Liaoning University | 4,734 | 32.5% | 10.7% | 507 |
Harbin Engineering University | 3,319 | 56.2% | 15.2% | 503 |
Central University of Finance and Economics | 2,426 | 48.3% | 20.7% | 503 |
University of Science & Technology China | 1,802 | 74.0% | 27.8% | 501 |
China Agricultural University | 2,748 | 57.8% | 17.4% | 478 |
Xi'an Jiaotong University | 3,736 | 62.0% | 12.8% | 477 |
Shanghai University of Finance and Economics | 1,931 | 43.8% | 24.7% | 476 |
Hohai University | 4,886 | 44.2% | 9.7% | 474 |
East China University of Science and Technology | 3,624 | 44.3% | 12.9% | 469 |
Xidian University | 5,357 | 51.8% | 8.6% | 461 |
Chongqing University | 6,250 | 38.1% | 7.4% | 460 |
Donghua University | 3,404 | 34.3% | 13.5% | 459 |
Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications | 5,092 | 29.9% | 9.0% | 457 |
Nanjing Normal University | 4,065 | 37.4% | 11.2% | 456 |
Beijing Forestry University | 3,168 | 44.7% | 14.0% | 444 |
Tongji University | 3,965 | 53.9% | 11.2% | 442 |
University of Science and Technology Beijing | 3,242 | 53.9% | 13.1% | 423 |
Shanghai International Studies University | 1,475 | 38.2% | 27.3% | 403 |
Southwest University | 9,741 | 21.8% | 4.0% | 394 |
Ocean University of China | 3,629 | 47.0% | 10.8% | 390 |
South China Normal University | 6,519 | 19.6% | 6.0% | 390 |
Jiangnan University | 5,111 | 32.0% | 7.6% | 389 |
Beijing Normal University | 2,486 | 51.2% | 15.5% | 386 |
Nanjing Agricultural University | 4,309 | 39.8% | 8.4% | 361 |
Beijing University of Chemical Technology | 3,648 | 47.4% | 9.8% | 357 |
Beijing Foreign Studies University | 1,219 | 48.7% | 29.0% | 353 |
Minzu University of China | 2,842 | 37.6% | 12.2% | 348 |
China University of Mining and Technology | 5,835 | 36.2% | 5.9% | 344 |
China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) | 4,342 | 45.9% | 7.8% | 337 |
Nanjing Forestry University | 6,878 | 27.5% | 4.7% | 321 |
Henan University | 8,561 | 27.4% | 3.7% | 317 |
Hefei University of Technology | 7,571 | 35.2% | 4.1% | 307 |
Communication University of China | 1,913 | 34.8% | 15.7% | 300 |
Central China Normal University | 4,364 | 29.6% | 6.8% | 298 |
Northeast Forestry University | 4,542 | 38.1% | 6.5% | 295 |
Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine | 2,329 | 28.0% | 12.2% | 285 |
Southwest Jiaotong University | 6,486 | 33.7% | 4.4% | 285 |
Northwestern Polytechnical University | 3,601 | 59.5% | 7.9% | 284 |
Huazhong Agricultural University | 4,238 | 46.9% | 6.7% | 284 |
North China Electric Power University | 5,440 | 37.5% | 5.2% | 280 |
Nanchang University | 8,351 | 33.1% | 3.3% | 279 |
Hainan University | 8,063 | 20.9% | 3.4% | 271 |
China University of Petroleum (East China) | 4,590 | 44.8% | 5.8% | 264 |
Sichuan Agricultural University | 8,474 | 23.5% | 3.0% | 258 |
Harbin Engineering University | 3,530 | 57.4% | 7.3% | 257 |
Lanzhou University | 4,473 | 43.2% | 5.6% | 249 |
Dalian Maritime University | 3,938 | 34.5% | 6.3% | 246 |
Tianjin Polytechnic University | 5,957 | 18.0% | 4.0% | 240 |
Northwest University | 3,387 | 39.6% | 6.6% | 225 |
China Pharmaceutical University | 2,607 | 41.2% | 8.3% | 215 |
Northwest A&F University | 5,147 | 40.4% | 4.1% | 209 |
Chang'an University | 6,102 | 31.3% | 3.4% | 208 |
Anhui University | 5,253 | 33.2% | 3.7% | 194 |
Northeast Normal University | 3,448 | 31.6% | 5.5% | 191 |
Chengdu University of Technology | 7,108 | 17.2% | 2.6% | 186 |
Shaanxi Normal University ** | 4,313 | 37.1% | 3.9% | 167 |
Guangxi University | 4,631 | 27.5% | 3.5% | 163 |
Beijing Sport University | 2,270 | 27.8% | 7.1% | 162 |
Hunan Normal University | 4,894 | 29.5% | 3.3% | 160 |
China University of Petroleum (Beijing) | 1,866 | 50.3% | 8.5% | 158 |
China University of Political Science and Law | 2,092 | 62.8% | 7.6% | 158 |
China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing) | 1,668 | 53.3% | 9.2% | 153 |
Yunnan University | 4,098 | 21.4% | 3.2% | 132 |
Central Academy of Fine Arts | 794 | 33.9% | 16.5% | 131 |
Southwest Petroleum University | 6,123 | 22.8% | 1.9% | 117 |
Hebei University of Technology | 3,404 | 36.2% | 3.3% | 113 |
Inner Mongolia University | 4,900 | 23.1% | 2.2% | 108 |
China Foreign Affairs University | 335 | 47.5% | 29.9% | 100 |
China University of Geosciences (Beijing) | 2,054 | 49.1% | 4.8% | 99 |
University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences | 290 | 85.2% | 30.7% | 89 |
Ningxia University | 4,172 | 14.4% | 2.1% | 88 |
Northeast Agricultural University | 2,707 | 29.9% | 3.1% | 85 |
Central Conservatory of Music | 330 | 59.7% | 23.6% | 78 |
Guizhou University | 6,820 | 16.1% | 0.7% | 47 |
Beijing University of Chinese Medicine | 789 | 43.1% | 4.9% | 39 |
Shanghai University of Sport | 969 | 15.9% | 4.0% | 39 |
Tianjin Medical University | 1,141 | 45.2% | 2.5% | 29 |
Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine | 4,129 | 20.6% | 0.6% | 25 |
Fuzhou University | 3,925 | 25.5% | 0.1% | 4 |
Zhengzhou University | 13,470 | 43.9% | [Data not available] | |
Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics | 4,758 | 47.3% | [Data not available] | |
Northeastern University | 4,871 | 45.7% | [Data not available] | |
Qinghai university | 3,528 | 12.7% | [Data not available] | |
Source: British Council International Education Services, based on Cingta analysis of Chinese universities’ graduate destinations reports
* Data for East China Normal University does not include students going overseas on publicly-funded scholarships
** Data for Shaanxi Normal University does not include students studying teacher training programmes
Analysis by Kevin Prest, Senior Analyst, British Council International Education Services
This year’s analysis is broader than the article published last year (see link below) as it covers universities that are participating in the World Class Universities and Disciplines project at the discipline level as well as just the institutional level.
The new data shows that some specialist business, finance and international studies institutions stand alongside the country’s top universities in terms of the number of graduates heading overseas for further study. These institutions account for four of the top 20 senders overall and seven of the top 20 in terms of proportion of graduates.
The data presented above may be able to help UK universities in targeting recruitment and partnership activities for postgraduate study. All of the institutions listed are included in China’s World Class Universities and Disciplines project which identifies the country’s leading universities; graduates of these institutions tend to be highly skilled and are more likely to be able to do well on a UK master’s degree programme.
Sources
1. Cingta: How many bachelor’s degree graduates from Dual First Class universities go on to postgraduate study? –https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MzI5MjIwMzk1MQ==&mid=2247498648&idx=1&sn=42f64308905824d10bb679f4c302ee1d
2. British Council International Education Services (January 2018): Analysis reveals Chinese universities sending the most graduates overseas for postgraduate study – https://education-services.britishcouncil.org/news/market-news/analysis-reveals-chinese-universities-sending-most-graduates-overseas-postgraduate