Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg, Virginia, for example, has relaxed the threshold for English proficiency for Chinese applicants, said Yu Yixiao, senior consultant with UsaStudy.com, a liaison between the university and students in China.

The new policy allows students who don't have certificates such as TOEFL and IELTS to study at the university's language center for half a year before taking an English proficiency exam.

If they pass, they are automatically admitted to the school, she said.

"The new scheme is well-received," she said. "Applications from China have surged from some 400 candidates last year to about 600 this year."

Virginia Tech is not the only school with the English certificate exemption plan. More high-ranking colleges such as the University of Delaware in Newark have similar schemes for Chinese students, she said.

Enhancing image and promotion is another method utilized by US universities.

Brad Van Den Elzen, director with the international office of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, said the school has established an office in Beijing to search for outstanding students.

He visits Beijing about three times a year to attend education fairs and visit prospective students' families.

After the expo, he will go to Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi province, and Changsha, capital of Hunan province, to visit students' families.

"Chinese alumni introduce these students to us. We want to have more Chinese students in our school," Elzen said, adding that the current number of Chinese students has leaped to 60 from 10 five years ago.

Universities overseas regard international students as an effective way to cut damage caused by the financial meltdown. They intensify efforts to attract Chinese students because Chinese families are better-off and put great emphasis on education.

Vision Overseas, one of the largest overseas education agencies in Beijing, helped 13,000 students study in the US this year, up 30 percent from last year, said Wang Yin, a consultant with the company.

High school graduates account for around 20 percent, or 1,000, of the applicants. Among them, some 100 students are from top high schools in Beijing and were accepted by the top 20 universities in the US, according to Wang.

"When families become affluent, they want their children to receive a better education," he said. "Even though they could study at a top Chinese university, they would still have to fight for a job after graduation."

Seeking younger Chinese students is another tactic. Ten years ago, there were fewer than 10 applicants for middle schools in the US through Vision Overseas. This year, there were more than 500.

Ma Ping, 17, a second-year high school student from No 20 Middle School, read information on each booth about US universities. Ma plans to study in the US, even though he can easily secure a spot at a university in Beijing.

"I love US culture, their lifestyle, music and the NBA. I think I am more suitable to live and study there," he said.

However, educators worry that it is difficult for teenagers to adapt to a new environment.

Van Den Elzen said that many Chinese students in his school are from well-structured families. They get used to having everything taken care of for them.

"You need lots of independence to live abroad," he said. "When Chinese students are with their parents, they have rules to obey. But when they live in a foreign country alone, they suddenly have too much freedom and tend to forget they are students."