U.S. Investment Immigration focuses on Life in the United States: According to the Ministry of Education, the number of Chinese students studying abroad and the number of students returning to China both increased further in 2013. The total number of students studying abroad reached 413,900, an increase of 14,300 from 2012, representing a growth of 3.58%; the total number of students returning to China was 353,500, an increase of 80,600, representing a growth of 29.53%.
Among the students studying abroad, 16,300 were sponsored by the government, 13,300 were sponsored by organizations, and 384,300 were self-funded. Among the returnees, 11,900 were government-sponsored, 10,100 were organization-sponsored, and 331,500 were self-funded.
According to data from the Ministry of Education, from 1978 to the end of 2013, the total number of various types of students studying abroad reached 3,058,600. Currently, there are 1,613,800 students studying abroad, of which 1,075,100 are engaged in relevant stages of study and research abroad; the total number of returnees is 1,444,800. The data shows that 72.83% of students choose to return to China for development after completing their studies.
In addition, the scale of international students coming to China continues to expand. In 2013, a total of 356,499 foreign students from 200 countries and regions were distributed across 746 higher education institutions, research institutes, and other educational institutions in 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities nationwide. The total number of international students in China increased by 28,169, a year-on-year growth of 8.58%; the number of institutions receiving international students increased by 56; the number of Chinese government scholarship students increased by 4,554, a year-on-year growth of 15.83%. The total number of international students in China, the number of institutions receiving international students, and the number of Chinese government scholarship students all reached new highs. A relevant official from the Ministry of Education stated that the Chinese government scholarship has significantly driven the expansion of the scale of international students coming to China. The total number of international students in places like Beijing and Shanghai continues to grow steadily.
It is worth mentioning that the number of foreign students receiving degree education reached 147,890, a year-on-year growth of 10.77%, maintaining a continuous growth trend that has been higher than the overall growth rate of international students coming to China since 2008.
The top 10 countries of origin in 2013 were South Korea, the United States, Thailand, Japan, Russia, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, Kazakhstan, and Pakistan. Among them, Thailand surpassed Japan to rank third, Kazakhstan surpassed Pakistan to rank ninth, and the United Kingdom surpassed Singapore to rank fifteenth, while other rankings remained the same as in 2012. The number of international students from Africa, Europe, and Oceania coming to China has increased significantly. In 2013, the number of international students from Africa, Europe, and Asia coming to China increased by 23.31%, 13.02%, and 8.09% year-on-year, respectively.
A relevant official from the Ministry of Education pointed out that while the number of students studying abroad continues to expand, the scale of international students coming to China continues to grow, the quality continues to improve, and the structure is gradually optimized, further highlighting the important role of international students in promoting Sino-foreign cooperation and exchange and showcasing the contemporary image of China.