In recent years, the university has committed to a program of internationalization and continues to explore ways to better integrate its overseas student population into the wider student body.

"We have an active peer-mentoring scheme between home students and Chinese students. Our English-language center has a hosting scheme which gives overseas students a chance to spend time with local residents. We try to encourage volunteering so they feel a sense of community," Hughes says. "In all Asian markets and especially China, word of mouth is extremely important."

Improvements in English language teaching in China over the past 15 years have made the university's job of integrating Chinese students into campus life a lot easier, she says. Today, Chinese students are likely to enjoy a more academically and socially balanced learning experience at British universities.

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"The Chinese government is to be applauded for doing a great job in broadening language skills. Before, students had a good grasp of vocabulary but they struggled with more informal conversation. Now they have some experience speaking informally. It allows them to participate in more activities, contribute to seminars and take part in out-of-school events," Hughes says.

Tumilty says Chinese students recognize that with China's economic growth and increasing global stature, an education in English is vital "in an economy that will only increase its engagement with international and multinational organizations".

"Of course, if the Chinese government did not place such emphasis on English, then it may have been much harder to appeal to students if they had no incentive to study overseas."

 

Resourceful students

Zhang Ying, a senior counselor at Beijing EduGlobal Development Co Ltd, an education service provider, says Chinese students are getting wiser about which schools they want to attend. Chinese parents and students, she says, are spending a great deal of time doing research before they turn to agents for advice.

"Most students have a clear goal. They are very much informed," Zhang says.

Many middle school students in China's major cities can pass China's College English Test, an English-as-a-foreign-language test, claims Zhang Lan Lan, an adviser at the Beijing New Oriental School, a private institution. The test serves to examine the English proficiency of undergraduate and postgraduate students in China.

Still, challenges remain for UK universities if they want to remain a favored destination for Chinese students. Many experts say the British government must do more to support higher education, and they point to new visa regulations that have made it harder for recent overseas graduates to remain in the UK for work.

"Our visa regulations are not helpful. We want to be able to say Britain is open for business and we are open to talented students from around the world," Hughes says.

Hoskins agrees.

"It's ridiculous that the UK isn't doing as much to promote and value education as other countries," he says. "(British education exports) will be worth 26 billion pounds ($40 billion; 31 billion euros) by 2025. That's a lot of money, but more importantly if the UK is the center for international education, it puts the UK at the center of a globally connected world. It's a two-way street. It's not just the Chinese students learning from the UK, it's us learning from Chinese students."

Contact the writers through jixiang@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 04/12/2013 page12)