Studying in the US or staying home? Chinese students face a hard choice

Li Jiayang (pseudonym), a Chinese student majoring in computer science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is feeling anxious as his student visa will expire in two months. However, he still needs another year to complete his PhD.

In the US, an expired visa does not constitute an unlawful presence, as long as the Form I-20 (Certificate of Eligibility for Non-immigrant Student Status) remains valid. This allows students to stay legally and continue their studies.

But what worries Li is the US government’s increasing restrictions on international students. If actions similar to the measures taken against Harvard University’s international students in early June were repeated in a different form, or targeted his school or programme, he might have to pack up and return home before completing his doctorate.

Last month, the US government attempted to ban Harvard from enrolling foreign students and began revoking visas for Chinese students, striking fear among nearly 300,000 Chinese students currently in the US or those planning to study there.

Even though the US State Department recently announced the resumption of scheduling appointments for international student visas, it also ordered reviews of applicants’ social media activities. These frequent policy changes have caused many Chinese families and students to reassess the value of studying or coming to the US amid growing fears.

Li’s mother told Lianhe Zaobao that she regrets advising her son to pursue his PhD in the US. “Based on the current situation, visa restrictions will only tighten further,” she said. Now, she can only urge her son to persevere, finish his doctorate quickly and return home immediately.

While Li’s mother is concerned about potential disruptions, some students who planned to study in the US, along with parents considering sending their children abroad, are beginning to question the necessity of overseas education amid the tightening of US immigration policies.

Song Danqi (pseudonym), a master’s graduate in automation from a “Double First-Class Construction” (amalgamation of World First-Class Universities and First-Class Academic Disciplines Construction) university in Jiangsu, had once considered applying to prestigious American schools. However, faced with uncertainties around pursuing a STEM PhD in the US, she decided to stay and continue her studies at her current university. In an interview, she admitted to being pragmatic: “Employment is my top priority.”

Song noted that the academic credentials from her Chinese university are no less valuable than those from renowned overseas institutions. It also gives her an edge in securing a teaching position within the university or a job within the system. “If I go abroad, that becomes uncertain,” she said.

From a financial perspective, she also sees studying abroad as a poor investment: “It’s expensive and risky, with too low a return on investment,” she said.

While some choose to forgo studying in the US after weighing the pros and cons, other Chinese families and students have persisted in their plans to study there. Even though they recognise that it may not be a good time to study in the US now, it is difficult for them to back out after the significant amount of time, effort, and money already put in. They can only “take it one step at a time and see how it goes”.

Ren Ziyu (pseudonym), a 17-year-old student at the international department of a top high school in Beijing, is about to join a two-week summer study tour in the US. This will be her third solo study tour to the US. She feels confident about the upcoming trip and does not feel uneasy at all.

Her father, however, expressed a sense of helplessness during the interview. He is concerned about his daughter’s continued pursuit of studying in the US, lamenting, “Looking at the situation now, the coming years are not an ideal time for studying in America — but there’s nothing we can do.”

For the past decade, the family has been preparing for her to apply to top US universities: “She started preparing for the TOEFL in elementary school, fought her way into the international department in middle school, and spent every winter and summer break attending study tours at US universities to get used to the life and academic environment there.” He added with resignation, “The bow is drawn — there’s no turning back. We can only take it one step at a time and see how it goes.”

Since the beginning of Trump’s first term, opportunities for Chinese students to study in the US have steadily diminished. Heightened China-US tensions, coupled with the Covid-19 pandemic — which led to flight suspensions — have significantly impacted people-to-people exchanges.

Statistics showed that after peaking at 369,000 in 2019, the number of Chinese students studying in the US has started to decline. Last year, it dropped to around 277,000, with China falling behind India as the top source of international students in the US.

However, the downward trend in studying abroad is not limited to the US. The number of Chinese students in other major destinations like the UK and Canada has also decreased in recent years. In the UK, the number of Chinese students hit a record high of 135,000 in the 2021-2022 academic year, but has declined for three consecutive years since. In 2023, only about 4,000 Chinese students received new visas to study in Canada, making China only the fourth-largest source country for international students there.

Chen Zhiwen, a member of the academic committee of the China Society of Educational Development Strategy, argued in an article that a key reason for the slow growth in international student numbers is the containment of China by Western developed countries, led by the US, which has led to the deterioration of the academic environment for Chinese students in the US. Additionally, resources in countries like the US and the UK have systematically shifted toward India, with many multinational companies withdrawing from China-US bilateral cooperation, gradually eroding the foundational support for China-US educational exchanges.

Chen also believes that from a domestic perspective, the willingness of the new generation of Chinese youths to study abroad is rapidly declining. Raised in comfortable environments, they no longer idolise the West and thus lack motivation and enthusiasm for studying abroad.

Chinese students abroad also face the challenge of balancing cultural differences between China and the West while navigating the complexities of international rivalries. They may be suspected of being used by the Chinese government to acquire research outcomes in certain countries, while simultaneously being viewed as “spies” by some of their fellow countrymen. Additionally, some cities have even closed their doors to returning students who wish to reintegrate into the system.

In her book Ambitious and Anxious, Yingyi Ma, a sociology professor at Syracuse University, revealed that Chinese students studying in the US experience widespread anxiety due to differences in educational systems and cultural backgrounds. Her research was based on interviews with 507 millennial Chinese students who studied in the US during the 2010s.

When interviewed, Ma warned that Chinese students in the US will face a deepening “cultural adaptation and identity crisis” as tightening US immigration policies increasingly entangle international students in geopolitical tensions.

Berlin Fang, a curriculum designer at Abilene Christian University and an education columnist, told Lianhe Zaobao that studying in the US will continue to be hampered by competition between nations, which heightens uncertainty. To avoid risks, he suggested that those involved in sensitive fields should temporarily avoid the US and consider other countries. He also emphasised that “domestic studies are not a bad option too”.

Although the study abroad trend in China is waning and could face further uncertainties, many Chinese students and scholars still see the value of an overseas education.

Lu Rongrong (pseudonym), an undergraduate at the Academy of Arts & Design at Tsinghua University, is preparing to submit her academic credentials for a master’s programme at Carnegie Mellon University in the US. Her research focus is on art and artificial intelligence.

When interviewed, she said that the Academy of Arts & Design at Tsinghua is the pinnacle for art students in China, and only by attending top universities in the US can she access the most cutting-edge knowledge. Choosing to study in the US means accepting the various uncertainties that come with the experience, and Lu is ready to take on these risks.

Commenting on the persistent willingness of some Chinese students to further their studies in the US, Ma said that the attitude of American society towards Chinese students has shifted “from openness to caution”, with isolated incidents being amplified into “suspicions of espionage”. Nevertheless, she emphasised that studying abroad still holds significance, citing the irreplaceable benefits of critical thinking and cross-cultural collaboration skills. Furthermore, many disciplines such as social sciences and humanities continue to remain popular, she added.

Fang also said that it would not be a bad thing if there were more Chinese students entering fields such as humanities, arts and social sciences.

He pointed out that Chinese society has long prioritised sciences over the arts when it comes to developing talent, but fields like humanities, arts and social sciences are essential for promoting effective long-term, healthy national development. From the educational system and pension schemes to conflict management and decision-making processes, Fang feels that creating these ‘soft’ environments can lead to self-sustaining, multiplying and transformative effects. “It is akin to planting trees, rather than just picking fruits,” he said.

This article was first published in Lianhe Zaobao as “海外留学热退潮 中国留学生焦虑中重新评估去与留”.

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