More than 400 universities and advanced research institutes from 30 countries and regions will attend the 17th China International Education Exhibition Tour, scheduled March 10-25 in seven Chinese cities, organizers said Tuesday.

The expo is mainly sponsored by the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE) under the Ministry of Education.

Bai Zhangde, the CSCSE director, said at a press conference that universities from a dozen countries, including Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Britain, Ireland, France, Holland, Singapore and Malaysia, would attend the expo in groups to better attract Chinese students,

Nearly 90 universities of the U.S., the largest number, will attend the expo.

"All the universities at the expo will undergo quality and certification check by the government of respective countries," Bai said."We've put information of schools on our official website so that students may have a clearer picture and an easier choice."

Since 1999, the CSCSE has hosted 16 expositions in 20 cities, attracting over 1,500 schools from more than 30 countries and regions.

Statistics from the Ministry of Education showed that 339,700 Chinese studied abroad in 2011, up by 19.32 percent over the previous year, 314,800 of whom funded themselves.