BEIJING -- Chinese students studying abroad have become younger in age structure, according to a report released in a national education portal site Saturday.

Graduate students plunged to 42 percent of total Chinese students studying in the United States last year, compared with about 80 percent 10 years ago, said the report in Education Online (www.eol.cn).

Meanwhile, the number of Chinese high school students studying in the United States maintained double-digit growth, accounting for 52 percent of Chinese students in the United States, the report said.

The report said the number of Chinese students for overseas study has increased steadily. In 2015, over 520,000 students studied overseas, and the number is expected to keep growing in 2016.

The United States is the main destination for Chinese students studying abroad, hitting 323,000 so far in 2016, according to the report.