(Yicai) Jan. 17 -- Graduates of Tsinghua University are keen to stay in China and even those who go abroad tend to come back, according to the prestigious educational institution.

Just 8 percent of the most recent graduates went abroad for further study, the Beijing-based university said on WeChat today. Of them, nearly 16 percent have bachelor's degrees and almost 6 percent have master's degrees.

Most Tsinghua University alumni who moved overseas in the past 20 years have returned to China, it said, citing information from the Tsinghua Alumni Association in response to a brain drain rumor that about 80 percent of its graduates move abroad.

Last year, Tsinghua University had over 3,200 graduates with a bachelor’s degree and more than 5,200 with a master’s degree, per official data. More than 80 percent of those with a bachelor's degree continued their studies and nearly 13 percent of those with a master's degree did the same.

More than half of Tsinghua University graduates last year chose to work in places other than Beijing, and their biggest recruiters were private firms Huawei Technologies and BYD. New graduates mainly pursued careers in manufacturing and energy, information and communications technology, the internet, public management, and services, as well as education and research.

Editor: Emmi Laine