Chinese students beat stress by turning to Southeast Asia universities

Yao Li, a 24-year-old Chinese student, applied to a university in Malaysia last year. The application process was simple; she only needed to submit her undergraduate diploma, transcript, and an English language certificate. Within 20 hours, she received an offer for a postgraduate programme. Yao is among a growing number of Chinese students who are choosing Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines for their postgraduate education. This trend is due to the increasingly competitive and stressful educational environment in China. While the US, Britain, Singapore, and Hong Kong remain popular destinations for Chinese students, Southeast Asia is becoming more attractive due to its lower cost and less intense competition. Yao is content with her decision, which she believes has given her a fresh start after the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

After leaving her first job due to excessive overtime demands, Yao found herself confined at home for three months due to China's strict zero-Covid policy. She yearned to leave as soon as possible, and the less competitive application process for Malaysian universities was a significant draw. She noted that even when most schools had closed their applications in September, Malaysia's were still open, and she didn't even need a recommendation letter to receive an offer. According to China's education giant New Oriental, Yao is one of an estimated 100,000 Chinese students expected to attend Southeast Asian universities in 2023. Searches on the social media platform Xiaohongshu about studying in Malaysia have even surpassed those for some non-English-speaking Western countries, such as France and Germany.

Sang Mingze, head of the Beijing Overseas Study Service Association, stated that the majority of Chinese students in Southeast Asia choose to study in Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines if they are not in Singapore. He noted that these students share similar characteristics; they are dissatisfied with their current conditions but have limited budgets. Analysts and industry insiders believe that the close cultural and economic ties between China and the Asean countries are giving them an edge over traditional Western hotspots for Chinese students. They also note that a less competitive environment is highly sought after by young people in China, where education is a constant struggle to excel.