American Universities Worry: The Smartest People in China Are Not Coming to the U.S., but Returning Home
Last spring, when the Trump administration suddenly announced the deportation of dozens of international students, American universities realized that trouble was coming.
According to a report by the New York Times on January 19th, officials at the University of Wisconsin-Madison were shocked. They clearly knew that about 8,000 students (15% of total enrollment) came from abroad.
Frances Vavrus, director of international education, said they were worried that the U.S. government's deportation actions might scare away potential international students.
She revealed that in the following weeks, the university began to simulate the consequences of a significant reduction in international students, including the financial impact on the university, as international undergraduates usually paid full tuition. Although the visa cancellations targeting students at the university were eventually revoked, throughout the summer, a dedicated team met weekly to monitor the situation and prepare for the worst-case scenario.
The report stated that for many universities across the country, the past year has been a crisis management drill, as the Trump administration took measures to completely reform higher education. University officials had to deal with visa restrictions, social media review procedures, and travel bans for certain countries. Due to cuts in federal research funding, universities were forced to limit graduate admissions, including international students.
A chill is spreading over the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In the fall of last year, the number of new international undergraduate students dropped by 25% compared to the previous year. The number of new international graduate students also fell by more than 27%.
Overall, the number of new international students enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities in the fall of last year decreased by 17%.
The New York Times pointed out that international programs started decades ago to promote cultural exchange. Now, international students are key to maintaining the financial stability of universities and competitiveness in the field of scientific research. Many universities particularly rely on Chinese students.
The report mentioned that President Trump's statements were contradictory: he deported foreign students, implying that international students occupied university spots for American citizens; at the same time, he also implied that the U.S. could double the number of Chinese students admitted.
However, even if Trump relaxed the restrictions, it could not guarantee that international students, especially Chinese students, would continue to choose the U.S.
Data shows that since reaching a peak in 2019, the number of Chinese students in the U.S. has been steadily declining.
In November 2024, the U.S. Department of State collaborated with the Institute of International Education (IIE) to release the 2024 Open Doors Report. The report showed that the number of international students studying at U.S. institutions exceeded 1.12 million, an increase of about 7% compared to the previous academic year, contributing more than $50 billion to the U.S. economy.
Among them, India became the largest source of international students in the U.S. for the first time in 15 years, with approximately 332,000 students, an increase of 23% compared to the previous year, accounting for 29.4% of the total number of international students in the U.S. While the number of students from mainland China was approximately 277,000, a decrease of 4.2%.
"The reality is that the best and smartest people in China are not coming to the U.S., but leaving," said Yinyi Ma, a sociology professor at Syracuse University, who studies education and immigration in the U.S. and China.
The report states that research shows that to compensate for funding cuts, public research universities have increased fees for international students who pay full tuition. In more than 50 U.S. universities, international students make up at least 10% of undergraduates.
The University of Wisconsin is no exception. By last year, international students accounted for about 10% of undergraduates, paying tuition and fees nearly 3.5 times higher than in-state students, about $30,000 more per person. According to a report by the Association of International Educators in 2024, international students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison contributed nearly $400 million to the local economy.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1854811223360520/
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