The tuition is three times the tuition of Xida and the majority of the students are admitted to Xida as Sophomores after two years at SCIC. If they choose an English major, which few do, they become Juniors at Xida.

They go to SCIC precisely because they were unable to enter Xida directly with their GaoKao scores. SCIC enables them to graduate with a Xida degree. This doesn't look very good for Xida, which is why I think SCIC entry is limited to Guangxi students.

Yes, IELTS is a money making deal for everyone involved, except of course the students.

I think the crazy number of foreign teachers would be valuable for students that planned to study overseas once they left SCIC, but few if any actually do. In fact, few if any are actually interested in English. The majority want to be Accounting or Engineering majors in Xida.

Christian missionaries are consistent in their goal in China: proselytizing. The teachers have surreptitious dinners with students and invite them to the Christian churches in Nanning. I too wonder why Xida risks exposure given Xi Jinping's recent university scrutiny.