A report published on Friday said as of the end of 2015, 4.04 million Chinese students had studied or were studying overseas since the country opened to the world in 1978.

Published by the Ministry of Education (MOE), the report, which is about employment of students who have returned home, said a total of 2.22 million students had come back.

In 2015, over 520,000 Chinese students went abroad for study, and 409,100 came back.

Most of the returnees, about 75 percent of interviewees, were willing to work in eastern coastal cities, and 49 percent were willing to stay in China's biggest cities: Beijing, Guangzhou. Shanghai and Shenzhen.

Only 3.32 percent of interviewees hope to start their own businesses, and career development space is the most important factor for them in choosing jobs, followed by location and salary.

Students majoring in management, science and economics are in greatest demand after they come back to China, followed by those who majored in engineering, arts and laws.

Qi Mo, an MOE official said 97 percent of students were studying abroad at their own expenses. The report will help students and their parents to make better plans and choose the right majors.