Why foreign students along the belt and road are jostling to enrol in China’s universities
Squeezed out of college places in their home countries and drawn by Chinese scholarships, students from nations along the route of Beijing’s massive infrastructure plan are pouring into China, reshaping regional education
When she began applying for admission to universities in pursuit of a master’s degree, Pakistan native Maira Tahir aimed high and far, sending out applications across a huge swathe of the globe.
Her requests to be considered for a spot at a top school landed on the desks of admissions officers in the United States, Finland – and China.
In the end, she accepted an offer of admission from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, an old public research university in China known as “The MIT of the East”.
What helped Tahir make her decision was not just the school's reputation and tradition – it was founded in 1896 at the edict of the 10th emperor of the Qing dynasty (1644-1912) – but something more tangible: a scholarship offer.
“I thought knowing Chinese language and about the culture would be a bonus to my CV,” said Tahir, 23, who will study new media and take required courses in Chinese language and culture at the school.
“The school has a great reputation, and they gave out a really nice scholarship,” Tahir said. “I was accepted in the US, but I was not going to get a scholarship.”