The mix of language and communication skills that students gain from this approach is expected to give them an advantage if they plan to continue their studies abroad. Of this year's batch, more than 70 percent have won places at graduate schools in the world's top 100 universities, according to Henke.

Many students admit that they chose the university because they saw it as a springboard to an elite school.

"I chose WKU because I believed it would bring me more possibilities to go overseas after my graduation," says Fu Xiaoting, a fresh graduate.

She will further her studies in computer science at North Carolina State University in the fall, hopefully to get master's plus doctorate degrees in the future.

According to Henke, studying at a foreign campus in China may actually be a better option than going abroad for some students, as the teaching staff members have more diverse backgrounds and are more attuned to their students' needs.

"Teachers at WKU are more aware of Chinese students' interests than those in US universities."

Pinata Winoto, an academic from Indonesia who teaches computer science at WKU, agrees that students benefit from the university's special learning environment.

"During their four years here, many students changed a lot - they became motivated, independent and developed a strong sense of social responsibility," says Winoto.

Winoto's student Pan Lijun is an example of how the university aims to help broaden students' horizons.

Pan says her experience competing in a coding contest run by Microsoft in 2014 was transformational.

"We won the third prize and, more importantly, I discovered what I want for my future through the game," says Pan.

She will start her postgraduate studies at the University of Toronto in September.