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A6 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 24 sepTember 2019
U.S. universities see decline in students from China

By MICHAEL MELIA and ties in getting visas. Xiong
WILSON RING Xiong, an electrical engi-
Associated Press neering student at Beijing
BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Jiaotong University, said he
After a decade of boom- hopes to pursue graduate-
ing enrollment by students level studies in the U.S. But
from China, American uni- he is concerned about
versities are starting to see complications with the visa
steep declines as political process and plans to apply
tensions between the two also to schools in Britain.
countries cut into a major Brad Farnsworth, vice presi-
source of tuition revenue. dent for global engage-
Several universities have re- ment at the American
ported drops of one-fifth or Council on Education, said
more this fall in the number his recent travels in China
of new students from Chi- suggest that the accusa-
na. To adapt, some schools tions of economic espio-
are stepping up recruiting nage are taking a toll.
in other parts of the world “The concern is a Chinese
and working to hold on to student just will not feel
their share of students from welcome in the United
China. States and will be met with
University administrators animosity and skepticism
and observers say trade In this photo Aug. 16, 2019, photo, Chinese graduate students Zhaojin Li, left, and Pengfei Liu, pose about why they are in the
conflicts and U.S. concerns in front of the entrance to the Robert Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont in United States,” he said.
about the security risks Burlington, Vt. Foreign students contribute
posed by visiting Chinese Associated Press an estimated $39 billion to
students appear to be ac- dents arriving on campus said. “We’ve been very in- a 23% decline in Chinese the U.S. economy. They are
celerating a trend driven dropped from 110 last fall tentional about knowing student enrollment, and often sought after by uni-
also by growing interna- to 70 this time. As a result, that a drop-off was coming the University of Nebraska- versities, in part because
tional competition, visa the school is reviewing the and really broadening our Lincoln, which had a 20% many of them have the
complications and the de- viability of some graduate international and domestic decrease. means to pay full sticker
velopment of China’s own programs that have been footprint.” China sends more students price for their education.
higher education system. most affected by the de- Significant drops also have to study in the U.S. than any Many Americans rely on fi-
At Bentley University in Mas- cline. “I wouldn’t describe been reported this fall at other country. Its 363,000 nancial aid.
sachusetts, the number of it as catastrophically bad,” such schools as the Univer- students represent one- So deep is concern about
new Chinese graduate stu- President Alison Davis-Blake sity of Vermont, which saw third of all international the financial effects of a
students. But the numbers decline in Chinese students
have leveled off in recent that the colleges of engi-
years, reflecting a trend neering and business at the
among international stu- University of Illinois, which
dents overall. enrolls over 5,000 Chinese
Prospective students and students, took out an insur-
parents in China share con- ance policy two years ago
cerns with those in other that will pay $60 million if
countries about American revenue from Chinese stu-
gun violence and tougher dents drops 20% or more.
immigration enforcement. Elsewhere, Lehigh Univer-
A report in May by the As- sity in Pennsylvania hired a
sociation of International recruiter this month to help
Educators found that the bring in more students from
top two factors behind de- India, and it also has been
clining numbers of foreign taking more interest in sub-
students were the vagaries Saharan Africa, according
of the visa process and the to Cheryl Matherly, vice
social and political environ- president and vice provost
ment in the United States. for international affairs. Ap-
But there are also unique plications from China fell 6
pressures on Chinese stu- percent this fall at the uni-
dents. The Trump admin- versity, which counts about
istration has sounded the 650 Chinese among its
alarm about Chinese stu- 7,100 students.
dents stealing U.S. intellec- “We’re trying to get out
tual property, and it is more ahead of this because at
closely scrutinizing Chinese the end of the day, I think
applications for visas to what we’re seeing is that
study in fields like robot- recruiting and how stu-
ics, aviation and high-tech dents are making decisions
manufacturing. In June, about where to go, it’s a
China warned students volatile space,” Matherly
and other visitors to the U.S. said. “As institutions, you
about potential difficul- need to diversify.”q