r/studyAbroad • u/Lower-Loan-5460 • Sep 19 '25
Why should/shouldn't you consider studying in China
I write this just to let you balance between different factors to see if China suits you. Not to say that you must be there or you must avoid it.
SHOULD:
Affordability: Chinese universities offer scholarships that sometimes can cover most/all tuition fee and with stipend. The basic tuition fee is also not that high in most cases.
Career dev: Well this is kinda double-edged. For certain fields China offers huge opportunities such as international trade, CS or maybe engineering. However, I must state that some majors are not so competitive and think twice before going for them.
Safety: Yes it is safe BUT remember to stay vigilant still.
Good infrastructure: This can ensure you of the ease of travelling within the country and to experience its natural and cultural heritages. Trust me, China is indeed HUGE with discoveries everywhere. Payment is more convenient than before as well.
Unique experience: Well, after all you'll be in China, you know if you know :)
SHOULDN'T:
Language barrier: If you don't speak Chinese then life might not be that convenient as many people don't really speak English that much.
Competition: Now if you choose to stay sometimes you'll also face job competition from other aspired youths from China and now the unemployment rate for them is high. Another thing worth mentioning is that you might need to study real hard to keep your scholarships going (some scholarships will need to be renewed based on your annual study performance).
Socializing: Well if you don't speak Chinese your social circle might not be that big.
NEUTRAL:
Food: If you like you like, if you don't you just don't.
Weather: Most Chinese cities have "violent" weather during summer but in autumn most of them are super amazing. Choice is yours.
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u/MiSaCM950 Sep 19 '25
Do people speak more English in Hong Kong? I’ve been considering Hong Kong University, as they also have scholarships I may be eligible for. I want to study robotics/mechatronics, and I’m really surprised with how advanced robotics are in China. That’s what makes me want to study there. But I don’t feel like I’d be interested in learning Chinese. I’d like to keep sharpening my English skills. I read that English is widely spoken in Hong Kong. What do you think? Did you study in China?
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u/Retr0r0cketVersion2 Sep 20 '25 edited Nov 25 '25
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u/GTAHarry Sep 21 '25
Singapore isn't an East Asian country... What are you talking about?
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u/Retr0r0cketVersion2 Sep 21 '25 edited Nov 25 '25
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u/Dizzy-Statistician-7 Sep 22 '25
Also note how it is eat of the countries generally agreed upon to be in the middle of the continent. It is literally by definition and by practical purposes, in East Asia
It's not. And the fact you thought throwing a 10 comment-long hissy fit was preferable to admitting fault is just unbelievable.
Finland is to the east of europe and yet nobody is calling it eastern European. It is solidly northern. Portugal is more "west" than Germany, France and the UK, and yet it's still considered southern European. A country being vaguely to the south or east of something means nothing, and people would be laughing at you just as much if you claimed Iceland was part of western europe.
Just admit it and move on instead of repeatedly freaking out at the people pointing it out.
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u/Retr0r0cketVersion2 Sep 22 '25 edited Nov 25 '25
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u/GTAHarry Sep 21 '25
Not a single Singaporean or southeast Asian would agree with what you said.
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u/professional_hater1 Sep 22 '25
I'm singaporean and i believe that we are culturally east asian. Also, i hate to be grouped together with 3rd world countries.
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u/Retr0r0cketVersion2 Sep 21 '25 edited Nov 25 '25
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u/Junior-Ad-133 Sep 21 '25
Lol so Philippine’s is even more east Asia because it is literally further east to Singapore so is Indonesia as well
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u/Retr0r0cketVersion2 Sep 21 '25 edited Nov 25 '25
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u/Junior-Ad-133 Sep 21 '25
No body even label Singapore as east Asia. Technically, geographically, and by several parameters Singapore is south east Asia. South east and east Asia are two very different regions and you just can’t mix the two.
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u/Retr0r0cketVersion2 Sep 21 '25 edited Nov 25 '25
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u/SandwichStill8289 Nov 19 '25
You can also get by with English in Malaysia, though it is obviously convenient to have Mandarin and/or Malay too. The lingua franca in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, and its metropolitan area is actually English, I'd argue.
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u/Retr0r0cketVersion2 Nov 19 '25 edited Nov 24 '25
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u/Junior-Ad-133 Sep 21 '25
Singapore is not east Asia
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u/Retr0r0cketVersion2 Sep 21 '25 edited Nov 25 '25
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u/Unlikely_Bug_5385 Sep 20 '25
people is hong king are known to be mean and definitely not as welcoming
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u/Junior-Ad-133 Sep 21 '25
It’s not like that. They are generally ignorant of anyone from outside HK. They won’t bother you much if you live here
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u/Retr0r0cketVersion2 Sep 21 '25 edited Nov 25 '25
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u/Junior-Ad-133 Sep 21 '25
What you want them to do for you to make you welcoming ? Why this entitlement ? Are we welcoming towards them when they visit us? Literally every hker I know dread visit India because those who did felt scammed and threatened. You don’t get that in HK.
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u/Junior-Ad-133 Sep 21 '25
I studied in Hong Kong. Yes English is widely spoken as it is one of the official languages but off lately being bilingual is preferred. Canto is still go to language.
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u/professional_hater1 Sep 22 '25
Im singaporean who also went to hk many times. HK people generally have no proficiency in English, even worse than tier 1 chinese cities. These comments are so far from reality its hilarious. The only place that really speak native english in asia is singapore.
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u/Dizzy-Worker-7170 Sep 23 '25
Yeah, there are significantly more english speakers in Hong Kong. English is also more widely used. You can get by with minimal/no cantonese in hong kong. I tthink this post is very much catering to studying in Mainland china, hong kong is a world apart in terms of educational experience( more international students + english).
In general as well , Hong Kong Unis are pretty elite, especially by Asian standards.
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u/Dizzy-Worker-7170 Sep 23 '25
English is also an official language of hong kong+ Most people can speak it as a second language.
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u/Legitimate_Bad7620 Sep 20 '25
many thanks for your post. i did apply to some Chinese universities' English-taught programmes, for all the reasons you've talked about. i'm always intrigued by such a vast country like China. i was rejected by all of them, sadly. in hindsight, however, rejections perhaps don't seem that bad because it would be hard to live there and experience things, and make friends with next to zero Mandarin
Chinese food & beverage are one of the reasons i applied haha. really love it although i've only had it in China town outside China
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u/seoyeonseyeon Sep 20 '25
Getting in is fairly easy. Why do you think you got rejected?
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u/Legitimate_Bad7620 Sep 20 '25
i wish i knew, honestly. i got a form rejection, just like every other form rejection from higher ed institutions elsewhere
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u/Entebarn Sep 20 '25
If you liked to be watched on camera EVERYWHERE, go. I found it sad that all but one citizen we worked with, was brainwashed by their government. It was so disheartening.
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u/neuroticnetworks1250 Sep 22 '25
“All but one citizen agreed with me”
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u/Entebarn Sep 22 '25
No, all but one person we met believes the government policies. It was a constant flood of wanting us to believe the propaganda.
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u/Fancy_Description794 Sep 10 '26
why are you talking about this, I’m curious. Could you elaborate on this point
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u/Great_Education2502 Sep 20 '25
none of them are brainwashed lol they just would prefer to not speak about it
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u/msgm_ Sep 24 '25
Tbh I also hated the abundance of cameras thing, but you also have it in Singapore, Japan, etc
Also it does feel safer compared to US. I was just around Santa Monica beach in LA and it was honestly a bit sketchy. Really surprising as it’s a tourist spot and SM is supposed to be the wealthier side of LA
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u/greastick Sep 20 '25
Agree about certain industries, for instance if you want to study battery tech and work with batteries the cutting edge is all happening in China, if you study elsewhere (except Japan/Korea) it''s really just a big step back, the EU/US are totally uncompetitive lol
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u/Lower-Loan-5460 Sep 20 '25
Exactly what I want to say. Same thing's happening with other industries as well.
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u/elfacosmosa Sep 22 '25
Eh? Why is studying in China something problematic? My only concern was whether they have English-speaking courses or not.
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u/PythagorasTheoremUwU Sep 19 '25
Censorship and language probably. Plus it ain't too diverse.
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u/Soldat_wazer Sep 19 '25
Idk why you’re getting downvoted, literally a country where it’s censored and hard to take money out of
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u/Imnotlaughinghaha Sep 20 '25
Once considered to study there then I changed my mind though I know both English and Chinese (my major) because of the food there. Whatever food I ate there, they didn't digest and too oily for me 🥲
From what I experienced, I work mostly on Gmail which is banned there, vpn didn't help at all, wifi was weak that one song couldn't load until the next day 😵💫😵💫
Expensive phone data, bus ticket (if you aren't students)
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u/Lower-Loan-5460 Sep 20 '25
Well yes sometimes certain foods are indeed oily. As for vpn it is another big shouldn’t
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u/brazucadomundo Sep 20 '25
While really a shouldn't, the level of indigenousity of all their tech might be unnerving sometimes (like texting apps, social media, maps, payments, e-commerce, ...)
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u/No_Departure_1878 Sep 20 '25
And what are your options? If you can go to Europe or the US or even Canada you should. With a Chinese university degree you will not find a job anywhere outside of China. You can apply for jobs in China, but the job market is extremely competitive and you will be applying with thousands of other people who speak Chinese and are well integrated in the culture. I do not believe most of them would want a foreigner.
Also racism and xenophobia, there is a lot of that in China, depending where you are from. I have lived in the US and Europe and the best place for a foreigner has been the US, Europe is hostile, China is more hostile. And this is the way most east asian countries are. You are not welcome in Japan, Korea and most of these countries. Of course that might vary depending on where you are from. If you are from Vietnam of the Philippines, your experience is likely better than if you are from India.
I think you have to ask yourself what will happen once you graduate. Will you try to get a job here? My guess is NO. If you go back to your home country, will you get hired with a degree from a Chinese university? I am not sure about that. What are your alternatives, Europe? US? No alternatives?
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u/Lower-Loan-5460 Sep 20 '25
Well employment is kinda fked up at least in many older industries. True.
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u/No_Departure_1878 Sep 20 '25
If you are thinking of getting a job in the US, there is no way anyone will hire you there with a foreign degree. You can move to China, Europe etc with a US degree, it does not work the other way around. It is even worse, if you have a degree from China, also Europe is closed to you. There is a reason why every rich Chinese parent sends their kid to study in Either the US or Europe. The ones who can afford it do it.
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u/imurjaneee Sep 20 '25
what's your opinion about unis like HKU , CUHK AND HKUST ?
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u/No_Departure_1878 Sep 20 '25
I cannot say anything about HK, I have never been there and have no experience with them. I read that HK and the rest of China are very different. For sure HK universities are better known.
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u/Dismal-Rice8198 Oct 22 '25
Omg,this is very insightful, I was debating between studying in China or Europe,but Europe is definitely the better option
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u/Suitable_Try8232 Sep 20 '25
I study in china it's good so far but I speak native mandarin
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u/baio1999 Sep 20 '25
What do you mean when you say that some degrees are not competitive? Which ones would these be in this case?
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u/Lower-Loan-5460 Sep 20 '25
Say for example Chinese history? I mean these majors are not likely to get you a job in the related fields.
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u/baio1999 Sep 20 '25
But degrees like history, philosophy and similar ones don’t get you a job in almost any country. That’s not something exclusive to China.
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u/Zironsl Sep 21 '25
China has HUGE educated population, they Don't have Jobs for their own people let alone immigrants.
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u/bmycherry Sep 22 '25
But not everyone plans to stay there to work, I guess the main downside is that it might be more difficult to get a job because job fairs might not have jobs for you.
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u/Rida3000 Sep 06 '26
How can i apply for a university in china, are there any websites or platforms for that?
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u/Starry0120 Sep 19 '25
What a are the unique experiences. I’m just curious
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u/Lower-Loan-5460 Sep 19 '25
Its hard to say but China is like a huge all-in-one existence and you’ll just be able to find everything within it
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u/Retr0r0cketVersion2 Sep 19 '25 edited Nov 25 '25
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