The acquisition of Global Study’s Chinese branch will “add considerable capacity and expertise to our ability to serve students in China and connect western universities with China-based partners,” said QS president Nunzio Quacquarelli.
The newly named Teli 特力, which loosely translates as Super Powerful in English, will be based in Chengdu, Shenzhen, Beijing and Shanghai, with services gradually expanding to other Chinese cities.
“The expertise and local presence of QS Teli in China will provide resources for universities to better navigate the Chinese market to attract more qualified applicants,” a QS spokesperson told The PIE.
The QS Teli team will provide Chinese students that reach more stringent visa requirements with data to support their decision making and match them with well-aligned institutions, they added.
UK universities that use QS’s admissions and conversion services have seen a 40% increase in Chinese applications for next year’s intakes, while other markets have declined by 48%, according to QS.
Furthermore, Australian universities have experienced a 66% increase in Chinese applications alongside a 6% decline from other international markets.
As the leading reference point for Chinese students seeking study abroad opportunities, the QS World University Rankings received three times more online mentions in China than any other rankings, according to Meltwater monitoring company.
In 2023, the higher education analytics and insights leader garnered over 100 million readers on Weibo and WeChat.
Earlier this year, QS partnered with the career navigation platform, 1Mentor, to bridge the talent gap between industry needs and academic institutions.
UK universities have seen a 40% increase in Chinese applications for 2024/25, while other markets have declined by 48%
Recent policies restricting international student inflows in Canada, Australia and the UK, are causing increased barriers to international student mobility.
“As experts in student mobility, we understand the challenges these barriers pose and will help students and parents make informed decisions about their international study aspirations and goals.
“We work with partner universities [in China] to navigate new frameworks and regulations to address the complexities of international education, fostering student mobility, which is a core mission of QS,” said a spokesperson for QS.
China is a major source market for international students, sending approximately 700,000 for overseas education every year, according to QS.
Last year, India surpassed China as the largest source market in the US for the first time, with stakeholders warning that geopolitical tensions could cause the major study destinations to reduce their reliance on the stream of students from China.