One Shanghai family made an unconventional choice as they pored over college options this summer: rather than opting for overseas study or one of the many institutions within the borders of the financial centre, they picked a lesser-known university in a third-tier city – a Sino-foreign joint venture they felt would confer career benefits in the long run.Rose Hu said her son gained admission to the Guangdong Technion–Israel Institute of Technology in the coastal city of Shantou to study mechanical engineering and robotics, a field he was passionate about, and one deemed to have strong job prospects.“The biggest attraction of this institution to us is where graduates end up,” Hu said. “Most go on to top master’s programmes in the United States, the United Kingdom or Hong Kong, which aligns perfectly with our plan – we’re committed to science, technology, engineering and mathematics and intend for our son to pursue a graduate degree at a renowned university.“Tuition is also reasonable for a regular family. If he studied abroad, it could cost 10 times more.”Hu said studying at the institute cost 100,000 yuan (US$14,826) a year, but those costs would be significantly defrayed with a 40,000-yuan scholarship.The family made their decision amid a period of explosive growth in higher education joint ventures in China. In May, the Ministry of Education approved more than 80 new joint institutions and over 130 joint programmes at the bachelor’s degree level and above.That followed a boom last year that saw more than 100 institutions gain approval. By early this year, the national total exceeded 320.