Studying in China: Foreign students flock to China

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04:24

Going away to college can be exciting, surprising, even scary - but especially in a foreign country. China's becoming increasingly popular for foreign students even for those who haven't studied the language. Uche Okoronkwo visits one of the country's premier universities to find out why it's attracting so many from beyond China.

The sun sets on another busy day of classes at Beijing's University of International Business and Economics. Good friends, Filipe and Kevin, meet up to exchange tales of life as foreign students in China. It was an unlikely friendship. Filipe was born in Costa Rica, raised in the United States. Kevin is from Belgium. What the two young men do share is a keen interest in China.

The two are among almost 500,000 students from outside China now flocking to the nation's universities.

They say they are settling in well, providing each other friendship as they both overcome the language barrier and vast cultural differences.

Much like English and Spanish-speaking Filipe, who plans to take on a business major in Chinese, many students now choose to enroll in Chinese degree courses right out of high school, rather than just studying the language.

About 12% of China's foreign students are enrolled under some form of scholarship. Kevin is now on the tail-end of an English language masters degree in logistics management, able to pay his fees after he was awarded one of the many scholarships that are now offered.

As Filipe and Kevin head out to look for their evening meal, several fellow international students from different nationalities wave as they walk by.

Many of them are from Belt and Road countries, encouraged by growing ties with China. They are also attracted by the improved performance of local institutions and significantly cheaper degrees, which range from around $1,300 to $6,500 a year.

Filipe and Kevin chose to have dinner on this night at one of their favorite local restaurants, Nai Nai, where they exchange warm greetings in Mandarin with the Chinese owner, recognized as familiar faces. It's a reflection of the growing people to people exchange, as China's education sector opens up to the rest of the world. UO, CGTN, BJ, China.