Seven prominent US universities accommodated more than 12,600 Chinese international students in 2022, marking a 33 percent increase from 2018 figures. Data from certain institutions encompassed exchange students, with Chinese students constituting 36 percent of the total international student population at these seven universities.
Over the past four years, the count of Chinese international students at Harvard and other leading US universities has surged by a third despite growing tensions between China and the United States, as revealed by a Nikkei study.
Seven prominent US universities accommodated more than 12,600 Chinese international students in 2022, marking a 33 percent increase from 2018 figures. Data from certain institutions encompassed exchange students, with Chinese students constituting 36 percent of the total international student population at these seven universities.
These universities were part of the top 10 US institutions listed by the British publication Times Higher Education in September of the previous year.
Conversely, the US-based Institute of International Education reports a 20 percent decline in the number of Chinese degree-seeking international students at all US colleges and graduate schools during the same timeframe.
The overall decrease can be attributed to deteriorating relations between the US and China, compounded by disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump-era restrictions
In 2020, the Trump administration imposed restrictions on visas issued to Chinese international students, citing concerns about the potential transfer of advanced technologies to the Chinese military as one of the reasons for these limitations.
Enrollments of Chinese international students were also reportedly affected during the COVID-19 era due to border restrictions and the surge in cases of anti-Asian hate incidents that occurred in the US during that period.
Despite a decline in the overall appeal of the US as a study-abroad destination, elite U.S. universities continue to attract students. A participant in Stanford University’s Management Science and Engineering program, a student from Shanghai, noted that the US offers the most choices for the best colleges.
US as only choice
Chinese international students and graduates expressed that they did not contemplate studying abroad anywhere other than the United States.
Some individuals also proposed that the decline in Sino-US relations has led Chinese students to limit their study-abroad choices to top-tier colleges.
A Chinese student attending a prestigious US university noted that members of the elite in China are less inclined to harbor anti-US or nationalistic views, and they may not subscribe to the portrayal of the US as portrayed by Chinese media as unsafe.
According to another student from China’s Shandong province enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley, numerous affluent families in China send their children to US schools as a means of obtaining US residency for the family or solely for the children, particularly in anticipation of potential political instability at home.
Growth among Asian students in the US
Nikkei sought data on international students from all the top 10 US universities listed by Times Higher Education. Responses were received from Stanford, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard, Princeton University, UC Berkeley, Yale University, and Johns Hopkins University.
In addition to China, the survey revealed that India, Taiwan, Japan, and Singapore experienced growth in the total numbers of students studying at the seven US universities. Notably, South Korea was the sole exception among the six Asian economies, experiencing a decline.
Between 2018 and 2022, the count of international students from India surged by 38 percent, while the population of Japanese international students witnessed a 22 percent increase.
Importance of cooperation in higher education
The China Education Association for International Exchange and the Institute of International Education issued a joint statement on Nov. 13, 2023 to consolidate the results of the US-China Higher Education Dialogue.
The China-US Higher Education Dialogue, held in New York in September, reiterated the importance of cooperation in the field of higher education and regarded educational ties as a significant pillar in the China-US bilateral relationship.
The discussion focused on understanding existing problems and proposing pathways for addressing future challenges. The joint statement emphasized that the two sides engaged in frank and honest conversations about areas of concern in each country.
The joint statement highlighted that the dialogue resulted in consensus, particularly in cultural communication and collaboration between higher education institutions.
American campuses in China facing challenges
American campuses in China face a combination of logistical, geopolitical, and economic challenges, raising questions about the balance of risk and reward.
Professor Denis Simon of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School said running a campus in China has become increasingly difficult due to shifting bilateral ties, altered political climate, academic freedom concerns, and pandemic chaos. He noted that universities must make significant investments in their campuses to manage joint venture schools, “which are only going to get more complex.”
Kyle Long, founder and director of Global American Higher Education, a coalition of researchers studying American institutions abroad, noted the growing hostility in domestic political discourse toward internationalization and operations in China. He questioned whether college presidents have the will to fight these battles, when “internationalization often finds itself at the bottom of the list, if it’s on the list at all.”
