"Even if I don't deliver my best performance, I will still get the feel for the test, which can be very helpful for me if I have to take it again in August or October," he says.

All TOEFL, GRE and IELTS tests that are required for overseas education in the Chinese mainland were also canceled amid the ongoing outbreak.

Several countries, including the United States, Australia and New Zealand, have introduced temporary travel bans on Chinese people, which further disrupted plans for Chinese students applying to study abroad.

Yet, the temporary setback didn't deter the ambitions of many students toward pursuing an academic career abroad.

"I decided to study in the US when I was in middle school, and it's a little crazy that I'd give it up at this point," says Chen, who will apply for college admission next year.

China has remained the largest source of international students in the US over the past decade.

Approximately 370,000 Chinese students opted for undergraduate, graduate, non-degree, and optional practical training programs in the US during the 2018-19 period. This is up 1.7 percent over the 2017-18 period, says the 2019 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange by the US-based Institute of International Education.

They accounted for 33.7 percent of all international students in the US.

Applications from China to UK universities outnumbered those from the other regions outside the European Union, the UK-based Universities and Colleges Admissions Service reports.

Chinese applicants to UK colleges increased by more than 30 percent, the British Council reports.

More than 66,000 Chinese students opted for postgraduate programs in the UK during the 2017-18 period, up 15 percent compared with the 2016-17 period, says the UK-based Higher Education Statistics Agency.

Canada has 142,000 Chinese students holding study permits in 2018, accounting for 28.4 percent of its international students, according to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.