A new major website has been launched in order to allow international students to apply easily to Chinese schools for a variety of programs.

　　This week saw the launch of ‘CHIWEST’ (www.e-admission.edu.cn) a new platform specializing in electronic university applications, currently the only company providing this service in China. It will allow students to browse and apply directly to universities and schools in China via a user friendly application.

　　China is currently experiencing an international education boom and many universities lack the technical facilities to cope with the rising number of overseas applications. The online platform is supported by major Chinese universities and after 6 months of Research and Development the website was tested successfully by foreign students as well as domestic schools who are thrilled about this new company.

　　Apart from offering a hassle free, simple and reliable web-based electronic application/admission solution for international applicants and Chinese educational institutions, CHIWEST also provides the following services and will be launching a number of other services in the near future. 

　 
　　·One-on-One consultation services and cultural exchange programs for international applicants ;

　　·A platform for direct communication between international applicants and Chinese educational institutions;

　　·A multi-lingual marketing platform and service for Chinese educational institutions ;

　　·A work station for Chinese educational institutions to manage the foreign student information as well as the international education market;

　　The company also provides extensive information for students about China, living in China and pre-departure information. Students currently studying in China are encouraged to visit the website’s ‘Discover China’ section in order to give their views and tips about living and studying in China. As member of staff explained “we want to provide an interactive website where students can communicate with us and other current and prospective students as well as schools in order to exchange thoughts, tips and ideas. Moving to a new country like China can be an overwhelming experience and we want to ensure that the student will have the best experience”. CHIWEST reliable and fast service will make applying for a degree or a language course at a university or school in China easy, safe and enjoyable.   

　　CHIWEST is already proving to be very successful, even before the website was launched 10 major universities signed up to partner with the online platform. CHIWEST’s International Liaison Officer explained at the launch party that they were happy with the positive response but that the company is planning a major marketing campaign for 2009 to promote its services globally and they have already signed a deal with ‘今日世界’ (World Today), the largest Chinese 24h television station in the U.S.

　　Especially since the mid 1990s China has seen a rising number of applications from abroad.   According to government figures 195,503 overseas students from 188 countries and regions came to study on the mainland in 2007 although the number is believed to be somewhere around the 300,000 region, because the government’s figures do not include students studying at private language schools. However many universities are still not using the internet properly thus creating a lack of search, apply and online consultation tools. Most international students currently rely on agents that offer ‘study-in-China’ packages which are often very expensive and of unknown quality. Students can rest assure that CHIWEST is a reliable company that has been accredited and a company that works closely with many top universities in China.     

　　CHIWEST’s CEO Allen Peng explained that studying in China is becoming more and more popular and that it is necessary to provide a simple and dependable application service for students they can rely on.