To stay or to go? Chinese students in the US mull future amid Trump's visa crackdown

CNA

2 days ago

SINGAPORE: Like many of his peers from China who have been grappling with increasing pressure and uncertainty in recent weeks over their studies in the United States, Christopher has found himself in limbo.
Speaking to CNA under a pseudonym due to an ongoing clampdown on foreign students, especially those from China at US universities, the 23-year-old international student from Hangzhou shared his account of studying at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he has been pursuing his master's in computer science.
'The US is undeniably the world leader in this industry,' said Christopher, adding that American computer science programmes were 'among the best'.
Currently home in China on a three-month summer internship with tech giant Alibaba, he is slated to return to the US for the new school semester beginning in September.
'It's extremely absurd that the US government has taken the most extreme step backwards,' Christopher said.
'Their actions have betrayed everyone who had high hopes and expectations for the country.'
EDUCATION CRACKDOWN
According to official data, nearly 280,000 students from China made up a quarter of all international enrollments in the US last year.
But rising anti-China rhetoric and the looming threat of Trump's sudden policy shifts have reportedly prompted many students and their families to rethink their higher education plans in the US.
The situation escalated to new highs in May, unfolding against the backdrop of rapidly deteriorating Sino-US relations when the Trump administration moved to block Harvard University from enrolling international students and issued new measures targeting Chinese nationals - who made up a fifth of its foreign student intake in 2024.
Beijing has condemned the recent actions, saying it had lodged protests with Washington and 'consistently opposed the politicisation of educational cooperation'.
'The US has unreasonably cancelled Chinese students' visas under the pretext of ideology and national rights,' foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said during a routine press briefing on Friday (May 30), adding that it had also urged the US to be more constructive towards stable bilateral relations.
That same day, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio instructed the immediate start of 'additional vetting of any non-immigrant visa applicant seeking to travel to Harvard University for any purpose'.
The top US diplomat earlier said that Washington would start revoking the visas of Chinese students with links to the ruling Communist Party and those who are studying in critical areas.
The Trump administration has also ordered its missions worldwide to stop scheduling new appointments for student and exchange visitor visa applicants.
"SUPER DISRUPTIVE"
Chinese international students are continuing to voice fears and uncertainties over their dreams of enrolling into top US universities following recent actions by President Donald Trump.
Many on social media said they had been reconsidering studying in the US and were looking at alternative plans instead.
'Policies are changing every day,' wrote a user named Bo Lo on Xiaohongshu, who shared that he had been 'back in China for two weeks and feeling really anxious'.
'Should I go back? I'm still undecided on whether to buy a plane ticket to return to the US immediately,' he said, without giving any details on where he is studying in the US.
A Chinese postgraduate student from Beijing who spoke to Reuters said she would defer enrollment for a year if the visa appointment system is not resumed.
"We feel helpless and unable to do anything," said the 24-year-old sociology student, who was identified as Lainey but declined to give her surname for privacy reasons.
"The situation in North America this year is not very good. From applying for my PhD until now, this series of visa policies is not very favourable to us. But we have no choice but to wait."
Global education industry experts like David Weeks, co-founder of Beijing-based international student consultancy Sunrise International, have echoed ongoing concerns from Chinese parents following ongoing developments.
'Their kids got into Harvard and were about to start this amazing journey but now they are being told they may have to transfer overnight,' Weeks told CNA.
'It's super disruptive and disturbing for the families particularly because of the nature of the indictment against Harvard,' he said.
AMERICA'S LOSS, OTHERS' GAIN?
As the Trump administration makes moves to block foreign student enrollments, rival institutions like prestigious universities in Australia, the UK, Singapore and Hong Kong are moving in, experts noted, and have been 'benefiting a lot' in the past year.
Hong Kong, with five universities ranked in the top 100 of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, said it was seeking to attract top talent following the Harvard ban on enrolling foreign students.
Hong Kong's University of Science and Technology (HKUST) announced an open invitation on May 23 to international undergraduate and postgraduate students at Harvard University, as well as those holding confirmed offers to continue their studies at HKUST.
'We will continue to keep a close eye on the needs of students whose studies have been affected by the shifting global education landscape,' said Hong Kong's Education Bureau, adding that it would consider support measures as part of the city's role as an 'international education hub'.
China's Xi'an Jiaotong University has appealed for students at Harvard, promising 'streamlined admissions and comprehensive support'.
Osaka University, one of the top-ranked universities in Japan, has offered tuition fee waivers, research grants and help with travel arrangements for students and researchers who wished to transfer from US institutions. Kyoto University and Tokyo University also said they were considering similar schemes.
Weeks told CNA that rival universities like Cambridge and Oxford 'had already benefited from a lot of America's skepticism in the last year'.
The total number of Chinese students enrolled in US Ivy League universities, as well as other top schools, would add up to losses of up to tens of thousands of students, Weeks said.
But even with good intentions, rival top universities outside the US may not have the capacity to take in students from Harvard and other schools who wished to transfer, Weeks said, adding that many Chinese students would also not want to leave Harvard or abandon offers because it was still a top school.
'International students who go to Harvard are some of the best and brightest in the world,' Weeks said.
'These are not students who are willing to accept a university outside of the top five, or even in the group of eight in Australia, outside of the top two or three in Ireland or New Zealand, at least over the Russell Group (universities) in the UK.'
International students, more likely to pay full tuition fees, also remain a lucrative source of income for universities, experts said, also noting that the Trump administration was hitting a major source of revenue for hundreds of schools across the US.
Data released by the Association of International Educators (NAFSA) revealed that more than 1.1 million international students studying in the US in 2024 contributed nearly US$44 billion to the US economy during the academic year.
On the Sina Weibo microblogging site, one Chinese student shared her rough experience over the past week, saying she still remained optimistic about her future and might choose to look to schools in the UK or Singapore instead.
'Everything will be okay, all things considered,' said the Weibo user who went by the name Fan Chang, adding that international students like her from China had 'plenty to offer'.
'We have skills in (fields like) language, mathematics, engineering and sciences so it's really (America's) loss. There are many other great universities in other countries that would readily welcome our talents instead,' she said.
Similarly, Beijing student Lainey told Reuters she was mulling other options elsewhere.
"Although everyone says the US admissions system may be biased against Chinese students, in reality, US schools are indeed the top in terms of academic quality," she said.
"I may also consider (applying to) some places outside the US, such as Europe, as well as Hong Kong and Singapore."
But in Christopher's case, he ultimately plans to stay on to obtain his master's degree even despite ongoing developments.
The recent actions of the Trump administration have, however, also served as an important reminder - 'that (the US) is not as great as it promotes itself to be'.
'As I learnt during my six years studying here, this land does not belong to me, and I will always be a foreigner.'