The latest UCAS report on Chinese undergraduate students studying in the UK is officially announced! In 2023, Chinese students are diversified in majors and highly ranked in universities

In December 2023, UCAS, the UK's "high recruitment system", and Pearson Education Group jointly launched the Global Insights: What are the experiences of Chinese students in the UK?, focusing on the latest situation of Chinese students studying in the UK at the undergraduate level after the global new crown pneumonia epidemic.

01. "Double High" for Chinese Students: High Application Volume and High Admission Rate

Chinese students accounted for 21.8% of the international student applications accepted by UK universities in 2023, double the number in 2014.

In 2023, 17,405 Chinese students were admitted to UK universities for undergraduate studies, an increase of 40% compared to 2019. Among international students, Chinese students have the highest acceptance rate at 52%.

02. Among the Chinese undergraduates studying in the UK, Shanghainese are the largest

Of the Chinese mainland students at UK universities in 2023, 13% are from Shanghai, 10% from Beijing, 5% from Shenzhen, 4% from Guangzhou and 3% from Nanjing.

03. Chinese students choose their own schools?

The main reasons why Chinese students prefer to study in the UK are: 1) the high international reputation of UK higher education (62%); 2) The quality of education in the UK is high (60%).

Moreover, more than 60% of Chinese students independently research when choosing the UK and UK universities as their study targets, although the opinions and suggestions of parents and institutional advisors are also important. Chinese students applying for undergraduate admission to UK universities will also consider the United States and Canada as study destinations.

Among the criteria for Chinese students' choice of universities, the UK university ranking is still the largest reference value, accounting for a whopping 83%.

04. The proportion of Chinese students attending prestigious universities is high

In 2023, 76% of Chinese students admitted to UK universities will go to high tariff universities, including 35% in London.

In terms of admissions, only 5% of Chinese students will go through the clearing process, while 7.9% of international students and 14.5% of UK students will go through the clearing process.

05. Majors and colleges with the largest concentration of Chinese students

Business is still the main choice of Chinese undergraduate students studying in the UK, at 26%, down from 42.8% in 2013. At the same time, the proportion of Chinese students studying art and design has increased from 4% in 2013 to 11% in 2023.

According to 2022 data, the UK universities with the largest number of Chinese students enrolling in business majors through UCAS are the University of Manchester, Durham University, University of Greenwich, De Montfort University, and University of Hull. The most enrollments in engineering and technology are University College London (UCL), Imperial College London, University of Manchester, University of Edinburgh, University of Sheffield; The most enrolled, art and design majors are the University of the Arts London, Kingston University, University of Westminster, University of Edinburgh, and University of Southampton.

06. Where Chinese undergraduates studying in the UK go after graduation

Of the Chinese undergraduate students studying in the UK, 52% want to continue their postgraduate studies in the UK, 11% stay in the UK to find a job, 8% go to another country to study for a postgraduate degree, and 8% return to China for employment.

Source: China Education Online International Education Channel