Liu’s team warned that an excessive fee hike might reduce the number of international students choosing to study in China, thereby restricting the influx of talent into its economy and society.
Liu’s team warned that an excessive fee hike might reduce the number of international students choosing to study in China, thereby restricting the influx of talent into its economy and society.
Chinese education experts have advocated for an increase in tuition for international students, an approach aimed at enhancing China’s competitiveness with the United States and United Kingdom in drawing top-tier students and providing superior services.
Professor Liu Jin from the Beijing Institute of Technology is leading a research program funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China. This program focuses on assessing the competitiveness of China’s education sector under the Belt and Road Initiative.
Universities in China, such as Tsinghua, Peking, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, have maintained a standard fee of 20,000 yuan (About $2,800) for international students since 1998.
Liu and his team have proposed raising this tuition to approximately 100,000 yuan (about $14,300), a fivefold increase from the current rate.
The experts argue that with such a “reasonable” tuition hike, Chinese universities could upgrade their services and compete with leading global institutions for higher-caliber international students.
For the 2022-23 academic year, the College Board reported that the average tuition for international students at US public four-year universities was $28,240. In the UK, annual fees range from $12,400 to $47,300.
The proposal, which reveals sensitive data regarding the actual costs of international education, is being seriously considered by China. This information comes from a Beijing-based education policy researcher who wished to remain anonymous due to the topic’s sensitive nature. The proposal was originally published in the Chinese-language Journal of Higher Education Management.
China hosted almost 500,000 international students in 2019, making it the third-largest host country after the US and UK, according to Ministry of Education data.
The top five source countries for international students were South Korea, Thailand, Pakistan, India, and the US, with notable contingents also coming from Russia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Japan, and Vietnam.
Over the years, concerns about censorship and academic freedom have dissuaded some international students from pursuing their studies in China.
Liu’s team calculated that China’s international student programs cost taxpayers approximately 100,000 yuan (US$14,300) annually per student. This cost includes administrative expenses such as visa processing, language, and cultural support.
However, Liu’s team warned that an excessive fee hike might reduce the number of international students choosing to study in China, thereby restricting the influx of talent into its economy and society.
The team has proposed a “price discrimination” policy to the government, advocating for subsidies and grants for students displaying exceptional talent and potential. This approach would ensure access to higher education regardless of a student’s financial status.
The researchers also recommended aligning the cost of education with student fees to guarantee efficient resource allocation and minimize government expenditure.
