The graduation ceremony could not have looked more American: a grand wood-paneled theater, beaming students in caps and gowns, a valedictorian speech and even dancers in leotards.

But the event was not taking place in the United States. It was happening in Wenzhou in East China's Zhejiang province.

The 213 young people who received their degrees on June 3 graduated from Wenzhou-Kean University, a school set up by New Jersey-based Kean University in partnership with Wenzhou University in 2014.

WKU is part of a growing trend of foreign universities setting up branches in China.

By January, there were 37 foreign university campuses on the Chinese mainland, according to the US-based Cross-Border Education Research Team, a 42 percent increase since 2014.

The students at WKU followed exactly the same curricula as their peers on the East Coast, but most have never set foot in the US. They received their US-style education entirely in China.

Gaining an international education without leaving the country has become an attractive option for many Chinese students.

The tuition fees are 45,000 yuan ($6,621) a year, almost one-third of what students would pay at Kean's main campus in the US.

But the students get an authentic US-style experience. All classes in Wenzhou are conducted in English, the majority led by more than 100 foreign teachers.

The school also follows the US system in prioritizing the students' personal development as well as their test scores.

"We encourage students to do interactive learning in the classroom instead of passive learning, and we want them to be lifelong learners, critical thinkers, great presenters and researchers," says Holger Henke, the vice-chancellor for academic affairs at WKU.

The mix of language and communication skills that students gain from this approach is expected to give them an advantage if they plan to continue their studies abroad. Of this year's batch, more than 70 percent have won places at graduate schools in the world's top 100 universities, according to Henke.

Many students admit that they chose the university because they saw it as a springboard to an elite school.

"I chose WKU because I believed it would bring me more possibilities to go overseas after my graduation," says Fu Xiaoting, a fresh graduate.

She will further her studies in computer science at North Carolina State University in the fall, hopefully to get master's plus doctorate degrees in the future.

According to Henke, studying at a foreign campus in China may actually be a better option than going abroad for some students, as the teaching staff members have more diverse backgrounds and are more attuned to their students' needs.

"Teachers at WKU are more aware of Chinese students' interests than those in US universities."

Pinata Winoto, an academic from Indonesia who teaches computer science at WKU, agrees that students benefit from the university's special learning environment.

"During their four years here, many students changed a lot - they became motivated, independent and developed a strong sense of social responsibility," says Winoto.

Winoto's student Pan Lijun is an example of how the university aims to help broaden students' horizons.

Pan says her experience competing in a coding contest run by Microsoft in 2014 was transformational.

"We won the third prize and, more importantly, I discovered what I want for my future through the game," says Pan.

She will start her postgraduate studies at the University of Toronto in September.

Liu Xia contributed to the story. Contact the writers through kanyubing@chinadaily.com.cn