Changes to studying in China after Covid-19

 Changes to studying in China after Covid-19

After two years of the epidemic, China will cut scholarships, so in order to secure admission to good schools, international students need impressive study results and high-level Chinese certificates.

Doan Ba ​​Toai graduated with a bachelor's degree in International Economics and Trade from Wuyi Academy in 2017, then studied for a master's degree and is currently a doctoral student at Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University. With 9 years of living, studying and working in China, he shares his experience of anticipating changes in studying abroad in China in the near future.

At the end of 2019, Vietnamese students return to their hometown to celebrate Tet and are expected to return to China in a few weeks. But they did not expect, the return trip took longer than planned. In the past two years, the Chinese government has not made any move to allow international students to return to the country because of concerns about the epidemic.

Chinese study abroad activities slowed down. On forums, groups and fanpages, international students constantly expressed concern and asked each other about information about returning to school but got no answer. The main information is still summer camps, winter camps, online language systems and recruitment centers or individuals.

Doctoral student Doan Ba ​​Toai attends the 4th Vietnam Young Knowledge Forum in 2021. Photo: Supplied

Mr. Doan Ba ​​Toai attended the 4th Vietnam Young Knowledge Forum in 2021. Photo: Supplied by Characters

In 2019, the total number of students enrolled through T&T Vietnam International Education Counseling Center was 156, but in 2020 and 2021, the number will not exceed 50. This year, the number of scholarship applications at the center has not yet been reached. over 30. Many students intend to wait until 2023 to apply to study abroad in March or September.

However, China is unlikely to open its doors to international students in September 2022 due to many factors. When reopening, the government of this country can come up with specific policies for each level of education so that students do not rush back after a long time.

How will studying in China change after Covid-19?

First, we need to mention HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi), a certificate certifying Chinese language proficiency. HSK is also a necessary condition for applying to schools in China.

Previously, the HSK was divided into six levels, from 1 to 6, with maximum scores for three skills: listening, reading, and writing of 300 and speaking (HSKK) of 100. The four integrated skills are combined but not included. point. Candidates are considered to have passed this exam when they get 180 points for HSK and 60 points for HSKK.

If you have HSK 1, 2, 3, you can apply for a language scholarship, but to apply for a scholarship to university in China, you need an HSK 4 score of 210 or higher.

According to Sohu, HSK is in the process of reforming from a six-level HSK to a three-level nine-level HSK. With three levels of elementary, middle and high combined with the separation of 1-3, 4-6 and 7-9, this is a strongly reforming process. Level 7-9 belongs to the advanced system, so HSK 9 is a new milestone that perfectionists set as a goal.

HSK 9 with more than 11,000 words, over 500 grammar structures... will be the motivation and challenge for the generation who wants to conquer Chinese as well as apply for scholarships in the near future. This change was also expected because Chinese is an increasingly popular and interested language around the world.

For international students, this change is an opportunity but also a challenge. It will stratify the level one more time. Those with a high level of Chinese have certain advantages in studying abroad and in future work.

However, not all international students can achieve HSK 9 to match the requirements set forth by the schools for both input and output. Therefore, international students will have more pressure in choosing a school to apply to and need to spend more time finding the right school as well as orienting their career earlier.

In the near future, you will need HSK 5 or HSK 6 (over 210 points) to be able to apply for university. Along with that, the requirements for master's and doctoral programs have also been raised. Many teachers in China shared that after finishing their studies, if they want to work here, they need an HSK 8 or higher certificate.