Chinese students are increasingly willing to head overseas for studies at an earlier age, a new survey indicates.

Until recently, Chinese students mainly studied abroad for master's or doctoral degrees. With China's economic explosion and an increase in affluent families, more Chinese students are now seeking to study abroad at an earlier age, the survey found.

Education International Cooperation Group, a domestic education services provider, surveyed more than 2,000 students and their parents from 18 of the country's large and middle-sized cities, in an attempt to gauge their thoughts on students studying abroad at an earlier age - those aged 15 to 18.