Wittenborg Online News!

nǐhǎo - gāokǎo - China’s notoriously grueling university entry exam, the gaokao, is fast gaining international recognition.

Wittenborg University boasts a substantial number of Chinese students and of all the non- EU countries, China contributed the highest number of incoming students (6 380) to the Netherlands’ higher education system in the 2012-13 academic year.

The China Daily reported this week an increasing number of overseas universities now accept the gaokao exam scores. The University of Sydney in Australia led the way in 2012 and today up to 60% of colleges and universities in Australia have followed suit.

Students submit their gaokao scores, and if they are accepted, they have to satisfy English language proficiency requirements such as a high IELTS score before being enrolled.

Western media have for years been reporting on China’s “cram school from hell”. About 9 million students, competing for about 6 million spots, sit down for the gaokao exam, some even taking a year off to prepare studying up to 16 hours a day. The exam is their ticket to the top universities in China, however international universities are now also an attractive option.

Wittenborg University boasts a substantial number of Chinese students and of all the non- EU countries, China contributed the highest number of incoming students (6 380) to the Netherlands’ higher education system in the 2012-13 academic year.

Chinese students wishing to study in the Netherlands needs a Nuffic certificate to be eligible for a Dutch entry visa. The Nuffic certificate provides an assessment of the student’s English language proficiency and of the authenticity of their educational degrees and diplomas.

The website news.xinhuanet.com quoted Li Baoli, Europe projects manager for the EIC Group, saying universities in France, Germany, Italy and Spain are now also accepting gaokao students.

"In France, scores for subjects in the gaokao exam, such as math, chemistry and physics, are used to judge the academic level of a Chinese student," Li said.

Alessandro Mariani, international affairs manager for China and Southeast Asia at the Paris Institute of Political Science, stressed the need for high grades. "We are familiar with the education system of every country, for example the Chinese system, so we want our students to have high gaokao grades."

WUP 26/2/2014