The report, jointly compiled by the Center for China and Globalization and an independent consulting firm Mycos, also said the number of the students going abroad with a diploma gained through self study is also on the rise.

Those students are usually much clearer about their career goals - to learn professional skills and to gain a job after graduation, the report said.

Bai Zhangde, director of the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange at the Ministry of Education, said that the number of students attending vocational schools abroad is on the rise.

The survey found the most popular destinations for Chinese students include Australia, Britain, Canada and the United States.

But other countries are also trying hard to attract students from China.

Chaerun Anwar, an education and culture councilor at Indonesian embassy in Beijing, said that his government offers scholarships for Chinese students who are studying in the country.

"Nearly 10,000 Indonesian students are studying in China, but the number of Chinese students in Indonesia is fewer than 500.

"We welcome more Chinese to learn and work here," Anwar said, noting that growing business ties between China and Indonesia have created a demand for more talented people.

Li Xiangcheng, a senior student majoring in Indonesian at Beijing Foreign Studies University, spent nearly a year studying the language.

"I enjoyed being there, learning the culture," he said, adding that he will return to Indonesia to teach Chinese after graduation.

[email protected]