Band 8+: The chart below shows the number of students from four different countries applying to European universities. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

The statistics illustrate how many students from four different countries applied to European universities from 2004 to 2008.

Overall, the number of students from Japan, the US, and Russia applying to European universities witnessed an upward trend, while China took the opposite direction. Initially, China was the largest contributor to the number of foreign students in Europe, but eventually, Russia surpassed it.

At the start of the period, China led with around 28,000 students, double the figure for the US and quadruple that for Japan. There were only approximately 2,500 Russian students applying to European universities this year.

Thereafter, the US saw a significant increase in the number of students who wanted to study in Europe, surpassing China to become the top contributor, with over 28,000 students in 2008. Similarly, there was a sharp growth in the number of Japanese students considering studying on that continent, with roughly 10,000 students in 2008. By contrast, the figure for China declined dramatically, ending the period with over 15,000 students. Meanwhile, the number of Russian students recorded mild fluctuations, with about 2,600 students in 2008.