Overseas study attractive at earlier age

Photo provided to China Daily

Studying abroad gains popularity

Meanwhile, the poll also found that parents who are well-situated financially and socially are more likely to allow their children to chase their dreams overseas.

In the survey, these parents had higher social status with better education and higher income. Nearly 70 percent of these parents had a bachelor's degree or above, and about 65 percent reported having decision-making power in companies.

Nearly half of the polled families had annual income of 400,000 yuan ($64,000) or above, and among these about 20 percent earned more than 800,000 yuan each year.

The United States, Australia, Canada and the UK are the most popular study destinations for Chinese students.

Students in the survey said they paid more attention to a school's ranking, while parents focused on the choice of academic major and safety issues, the poll found.

"The cost for overseas high school is high, but I think that's a helpful way for children to receive different education modes and adapt to various environments," said Wang Yun, who said she planned to send her son to study at a US high school.

The latest figures from the Ministry of Education showed that 413,900 Chinese students studied abroad last year, an increase of 3.58 percent from the previous year. The number is forecast to reach 500,000 this year.

Meanwhile, the number of students who will go abroad to study at a younger age also will increase, experts said.

According to the Open Doors Report on international educational exchanges, which is published annually by the US Institute of International Education, in the 2012-13 academic year, 235,597 Chinese students studied in the US, and 39.8 percent of them were undergraduates. Both figures represent an increase over the previous year.