Chinese students attend the graduation ceremony at the Columbia University in New York in May last year. WANG YING/XINHUA

China will implement a slew of targeted measures to help Chinese students whose overseas study plans have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Education said on Wednesday.

Given the continuing spread of COVID-19 around the globe, as well as travel and visa restrictions imposed by a number of countries, some Chinese students intending to study abroad have been forced to change, delay or even call off their plans, it said.

To effectively tackle the practical problems faced by such students, domestic universities will be encouraged to enroll qualified students in their joint degree programs with global partners, as well as with educational institutions in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, to provide students with study opportunities at home, the ministry said.

About 90 joint degree programs in 19 provincial-level regions, including Beijing, Zhejiang and Guangdong, will be made available.

Enrollment will not be included in the country's national college entrance enrollment system and will not affect other types of college enrollment, it said, adding that many universities across the country have taken steps to advance the enrollment of students who had planned to study overseas.

Contact with education departments and universities overseas has been stepped up, the ministry said, and they have been urged to help solve the problems faced by students.