A total of 492,185 international students from 196 countries and regions studied in China last year, up 0.62 percent on the previous year, the ministry said in a statement.
South Korea ranked first in the number of students sent to China last year, with 50,600 students, followed by Thailand with 28,608, Pakistan with 28,023, India with 23,198, and the United States with 20,996.
The number of students pursuing academic education increased 6.86 percent year-on-year to 258,122, accounting for 52.44 percent of the total.