CHINESE STUDENTS NO LONGER DREAMING ABOUT THE US
Although China and India are the largest source countries of international students in the US, the number of students, in particular from China, was dropping even before the pandemic.
Despite overall recovery in the number of applications, this has not been the case for China. For the 2021 academic cycle, Chinese applications were down 18 per cent compared to the previous year, a marked contrast to an overall increase of 9 per cent in applications overall.
While we cannot yet be sure how factors like geopolitical tension between the US and China or stricter pandemic-related travel restrictions in China influence the decision-making of Chinese students and their families, this should be cause for concern for US policymakers and educational institutions.
Higher education is a global industry worth billions. Consumers will choose the products that are most attractive to them, and a decline for the US may be a gain for countries like Canada and Australia. Even Germany and the Netherlands are increasing the number of English language courses to attract the international market.
Yet higher education is much more than that – the influx of talent that foreign students bring is beneficial for the economies of receiving countries, particularly those with ageing populations and tight labour markets, which are looking to woo them after graduation.
Most importantly, in a world where tensions between nations are rising, having young people experience and understand other cultures is a welcome and much-needed opportunity.
Trisha Craig is Vice President (Engagement) and Senior Lecturer of Social Sciences (Global Affairs) at Yale-NUS College.The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not represent the views and opinions of Yale-NUS College or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates.
