The number of returnees will exceed the number of Chinese people studying abroad in the next five years， according to a review of study abroad trends in the Chinese market released on Dec. 28.

According to statistics, from 2000 to 2015, the growth rate of overseas students returning to China was above 20 percent. In 2014, the number of returnees reached 364,800 while the number of people studying abroad was 459,800—a difference of only 90,000 people.

As the report reveals, the growth rate of Chinese students going abroad for undergraduate study is 11 to 14 percent; meanwhile, the number of students going abroad for high school or lower degrees has been increasing. In 2015, the number of young Chinese students (undergraduate and below) going to Canada to study made up 75 percent of the total number. Of that 75 percent, 44 percent were going for undergraduate degrees, while 30 percent were going for high school.

The report forecasts that in 2016, there will be a trend of Chinese students attending foreign schools at younger ages. The number of students going abroad for degrees below high school will see the most obvious increase. In addition, students from lower-tier cities in China will have more opportunities to attend the world's famous universities. With the number of Chinese students going abroad still increasing, foreign universities may be revising their admissions requirements for international students.