In recent years, the number of Chinese students studying in the United States has been continuously decreasing. A person engaged in留学agency business in California told our station that under the current situation of China's economic downturn and US-China relations, it is not easy to do business for Chinese students who want to study abroad. Several students who have studied in the US for many years also shared with our station the situation of Chinese students. For more details, please listen to the report by our correspondent Sun Cheng. California留学Agency Practitioner: "Business is Not as Good as Before" In recent years, the number of Chinese students studying in the US has been gradually declining year by year. From the 2019-2020 academic year to the 2023-2024 academic year, the number of Chinese students studying in the US has decreased for four consecutive years, from 373,000 to 277,400. Recently, a person engaged in留学agency business for Chinese students in California said that business was harder than before. An anonymous Chinese-American respondent from California, who has many years of experience in the留学agency industry in California, told this station on April 27th that Chinese students now have more concerns when coming to the US for study. He said, "Now the Chinese economy is not good, everyone's purchasing power has declined, and fewer people are willing to come to the US for study." Since 2009, China has been the largest source of international students in the US for fifteen years. However, with the continuous decline in the number of Chinese students in the US, in the 2023-2024 academic year, the number of Indian students in the US has already exceeded that of Chinese students. This留学agency practitioner said that with the start of the tariff war, many Chinese students who originally intended to study in the US were concerned about it being even harder to stay in the US. He said, "People who want to study abroad now consider many things, thinking there will be more restrictions on H1B visas for Chinese students, and they worry about not being able to get a work permit after coming to the US. Business is not as good as before." H1B is a type of work visa issued by the US. Many international students in the US apply for this visa each year, with India and China being the two largest sources of applicants. According to data released by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, there were 470,342 valid H1B lottery applications in the 2025 fiscal year, a decrease of 38.6% compared to 758,994 in the 2024 fiscal year. However, the H1B selection rate for the 2025 fiscal year was only 28.73%, which did not significantly improve compared to the 24.82% rate in the 2024 fiscal year. California International Student: Some Chinese Families Cannot Afford Study Tuition; There is Panic Among International Students California is the state with the most international students in the US. In the 2022-2023 academic year, among California's 138,393 international students, the largest group was Chinese students, accounting for 37.5%. In the 2023-2024 academic year, although Chinese students remain the largest group of international students in California, their proportion has decreased. Among the 140,858 international students in California during this academic year, Chinese students accounted for 36%. Tiger (a pseudonym), who is from China and has many years of experience studying at the University of California, Davis, said he has not yet noticed a reduction in the number of Chinese students at his school. However, annual tuition fees exceeding $50,000 can be a significant expense for some Chinese student families. He said, "Because of the poor economy, I have seen many cases, which only represent certain phenomena, where some students' families have lost money due to poor business and cannot afford tuition." He also mentioned that although he does not know detailed statistics, given China's economic downturn, he feels that the overall number of international students is definitely decreasing. US Representative Riley Moore proposed the "Stop Communist Visa Act" on March 14th of this year, aiming to prevent issuing visas for individuals from China to study or conduct research in the US. The bill has received support from several members of Congress. Wang Han, who is from China and has many years of study experience at the University of Southern California, is currently preparing to apply for a doctoral program. He told our station that according to his understanding, there is indeed a sense of panic among Chinese students currently studying in the US. Although he himself does not feel such strong concerns, some Chinese students are worried about their study status and visa status. He said, "I don't know exactly how many people are affected, but at least this atmosphere is spreading within this circle." (illustrative image) Kentucky International Student: Economic Downturn in China; Decrease in Local Chinese Student Population Han Yingchao, who is from Fujian and has studied at the University of Kentucky for many years, can now directly feel a reduction in the number of Chinese students locally. He explained the related reasons saying, "I think one reason is the decline in China's economy, resulting in fewer parents who can afford to send their children abroad for study." He also mentioned that with the current economic downturn in China, overseas returnees face employment difficulties in China, saying, "It's also hard to find jobs for returnees because the entire job market in China is also declining. So many people feel that the benefits of studying abroad are not so great." Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7498943491372827190/ Disclaimer: This article represents the views of the author alone. Please express your opinion by clicking the 'thumbs up' or 'thumbs down' buttons below.