University admission staff talk with students over application consultations. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

Shanghai's East China University of Science and Technology held the sixth International Graduate Scholarship Fair on Oct 25, with 70 prominent overseas universities attending, including the UK's University of Cambridge; the US’s University of California, Davis; and Australia's University of New South Wales.

Professors and admissions staff from universities, which receive State-sponsored students from China and diplomats of foreign embassies in China, were also on hand to offer information and guidelines on application for scholarships and visas.

Sponsored by the China Scholarship Council, the International Graduate Scholarship Fair (IGSF) has welcomed its sixth year since founding in 2009, and has provided an efficient scholarship information platform for over 100 overseas universities and more than 30,000 Chinese students. It has developed into an annual fair for international institutions to share and communicate with native universities as well as students. This year’s fair will be held in Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai in later Oct, with East China University of Science and Technology as the Shanghai host.

The fair takes a mixed style of open consultation and seminars. Global institutions including the Institute of Education at University of London, UK and the German Academic Exchange Service will have plenary lectures, and staff from different universities will be on hand to talk about subjects, professional advantages, application policies and scholarships.

At the same time, students can have face-to-face discussion and consultations with prospective schools according to their professional features and study plans.

To expand students’ international vision and better prepare them for international challenges, East China University of Science and Technology has been working on the internationalization of higher education and seek for broader foreign cooperation, establishing academic ties and exchanges with more than 180 universities, enterprise groups and research institutes worldwide as well as signing cooperation memorandum with several prominent overseas institutes.

Student spot coverage

Some student from the Southeast University planning to study aboard for a doctor’s degree took some consultations with Spain's Polytechnic University of Catalonia and talked about the teaching language, scholarship, academic and language requirements.

An admission staff from the UK’s Queen Mary University of London also gave some suggestions that students better search for detailed and precise information on the official website rather than Chinese materials. Besides, universities tend to focus more on the applicant’s integrated development, and require higher level of scientific research ability for doctorate applicants.