Six things you need to know about the Chinese junior student market

Junior students from China are travelling again in large numbers, and their favourite destination is still the UK, followed by the US and Canada.

These are the findings that emerged from interviews with education agents in Southern China and Hong Kong. The BONARD Europe and China Teams joined forces to deliver another trade mission in collaboration with our Canadian partner, the Canadian Association of Public Schools International (CAPS-I).

During the trade mission, we interviewed education agents to gain expert insight into the trends shaping the market. Here is what they told us.

The market is growing
With the last travel restrictions removed in 2023, student mobility from China is growing again. This applies to the junior market as well.
Hinson Yang, SmartA Education Consultant, said: “We see more and more families wanting to get more information about [study abroad programmes] after Covid-19.”
The top destinations for juniors
North America, especially the US, has been the favourite destination for junior students from China for a long time. However, during the pandemic, agencies picked up a new trend.
According to Yang, the UK became the most popular destination during the pandemic, and it is now still the favourite destination for the K-12 students his agency works with.
“During the Covid times, the UK became the most popular country for study abroad. It is still the most popular country for junior students from China,” Yang said.
Su Su, Senior Research Manager at BONARD's China Branch explained: “The travel restrictions and general uncertainty during the pandemic years reshaped the educational preferences of junior students from China."
Short-term programmes on the rise
High school programmes are still in demand in Mainland China, Chuanzhi Yang told BONARD.
“The most popular type of programme in Mainland China is the high school programme,” he said. “Chinese parents want their kids to go to a good, [prestigious] university. Some students also fear the Chinese Gaokao system, so they choose study abroad.”
However, an interesting new trend is emerging: short-term courses and summer camps abroad are rising in popularity. April Choi (Foreign Student Services) observed: “We believe there is a big change in student preferences. More students are interested in going on short-term programmes, such as summer camps.”
Summer camps and short-term programmes abroad were the topic of a recent BONARD Student Recruitment Webinar.Watch it here to learn more.
Arts and music are in demand
Arts and music are becoming a more popular subject choice among Chinese juniors and their parents.
Studying abroad offers them more opportunities to focus on these two subject areas, Hinson Yang explained.
“Arts and music are not popular in the Chinese education system,” he added.
Safety, reputation and culture shock
Among the factors driving students’ and parents’ decisions, education agents mentioned safety, reputation and culture shock.
Choi commented that the most important factor for Hong Kong families would be safety, while Hinson Yang added that parents worry about whether their child will fit in with the school and country’s culture.
Price sensitivity
Due to the ongoing economic uncertainty, China has become a more price-sensitive market after the pandemic.
Chuanzhi Yang said that while 90% of the agency’s students are self-funded, they will be more likely to choose to study in a school which offers a scholarship.
Choi added: “We have noticed recently that more and more Hong Kong families are on a tighter budget, so having the scholarship incentive would be a very attractive feature for most of them - especially if it’s a leadership scholarship, academic, as well as community service scholarships.”

The trade mission saw representatives of the K–12 sector in Canada meet with 19 selected agents from Hong Kong and Southern China.

We wish to thank the agents who took part in the interviews: Chuanzhi Yang (Xiamen Diamond Overseas Education), Hinson Yang (SmartA Education Consultant), and April Choi (Foreign Student Services).

Our heartfelt thanks to CAPS-I for facilitating meaningful international connections through their trade missions.

CAPS-I Hong Kong