Dutch universities are attracting more and more international students with the BSc and MSc programmes they offer in the English language. Several years ago, Wageningen University and Research Centre (WUR) started joint study programmes together with China Agricultural University (CAU) in Beijing. The first three groups of about 30 Chinese BSc students arrived in Wageningen for the academic year 2003-2004, and started in the following regular BSc programmes together with Dutch students: Biotechnology, Food Technology and Environmental Science. The study results of the first group of Chinese students were disappointing despite their hard work. Various factors may play a role, e.g. mastery of the English language, prior knowledge and previously acquired competencies and learning styles. This study examines whether the learning styles of Chinese students differ from the learning styles of Dutch students.A learning style can be described as a coherent whole of learning strategies (regulation strategies and cognitive processing strategies), learning motives and learning conceptions, typical for a particular student in a particular period (Vermunt, 1992). In order to describe students' learning styles, Vermunt (1992) developed the Inventory of Learning Styles (ILS). In his research, Vermunt identified four different learning styles: reproduction-oriented learning style, meaning- oriented learning style, application-oriented learning style and undirected learning style (see also Wierstra & Beerends, 1996; Vermunt & Verloop, 1999; Vermetten, Vermunt & Lodewijks, 2002).To be able to compare the learning styles of the Chinese and Dutch students, both groups filled out the ILS. Questionnaire data from 16 Dutch students and 25 Chinese students were obtained. For both groups, mean scores were calculated for the various scales of the ILS.With respect to cognitive processing strategies, the CAU students indicate that they use more stepwise processing strategies than the WUR students, while the WUR students claim to use more deep learning strategies than the CAU students. The CAU students tend to analyse the different parts of the study material separately and in sequence. They also indicate that they use more memorisation and repetition strategies. WUR students pay more attention to inferring relations within the learning material and try to structure the pieces of knowledge into a coherent whole. In contrast to the CAU students, they tend to adopt a strategy aimed at identifying the main points of the learning material and then try to construct a coherent picture of the relations between the various topics.With respect to regulation strategies, the groups used different self-regulation strategies. CAU students indicate that they use more activities themselves to control their learning process. To regulate their learning process and results, CAU students tend to plan their processing activities themselves to a greater extent and to test their learning results themselves; to regulate the learning content they use more additional sources apart from the study material than WUR students do.Concerning learning motives, CAU students appear to have a more test- oriented learning motive than WUR students. It is even more important for CAU students to prove their capabilities to themselves and to others than for WUR students. The higher score on the scale "ambivalent" indicates that CAU students have more doubts concerning their study than WUR students. CAU students see their learning process more as construction of knowledge than WUR students. Their goal is to construct more knowledge and insight themselves through a variety of study activities. CAU students also appear to attach more importance to stimulating education than WUR students do.In the full paper, recommendations for higher education and for additional research in this domain are formulated based on the results of this study.ReferencesVermetten, Y.J., Vermunt, J.D.H.M. & Lodewijks, H.G. (2002). Powerful learning environments? How university students differ in their response to instructional measures. Learning and Instruction,12, 263- 284.Vermunt, J.D.H.M. (1992). Leerstijlen en sturen van leerprocessen in het hoger onderwijs - Naar procesgerichte instructie in zelfstandig denken [Learning styles and regulation of learning processes in higher education - Towards process-oriented instruction in independent thinking]. Academic dissertation, Katholieke Universiteit Brabant. Amsterdam / Lisse: Swets & Zeitlinger.Vermunt, J.D.H.M. & Verloop, N. (1999). Congruence and friction between learning and teaching. Learning and Instruction, 9, 257-280.Wierstra, R.F.A. & Beerends, E.P.M. (1996). Leeromgevingspercepties en leerstrategieën van eerstejaars studenten sociale wetenschappen [Perceptions of learning environments and learning strategies of first-year students in social sciences]. Tijdschrift voor Onderwijsresearch, 21, 306-322.