In recent years, the number of Chinese students studying in the United States has steadily declined. A California-based study abroad agency told this station that, given China's economic downturn and the current state of US-China relations, the Chinese student study abroad business is currently struggling. Several students who have studied in the United States for many years also shared their experiences with Chinese students. For more details, please listen to our reporter Sun Cheng's report.
Study abroad agency practitioners in California: "Study abroad agency business is not easy to do right now"
In recent years, the number of Chinese students studying in the United States has been declining year by year. From the 2019-2020 academic year to the 2023-2024 academic year, the number of Chinese students in the United States has declined for four consecutive years, from 373,000 to 277,400. Recently, a California-based agent specializing in Chinese student education services stated that business has become more challenging than before.
An anonymous Chinese-American Californian, who has worked in the education agency industry for many years, told our station on April 27th that Chinese students are now more concerned about studying in the United States than before. He said, "The Chinese economy is struggling right now, and people's spending power is declining, so fewer people are willing to study in the United States."
For the fifteen years since 2009, China has been the largest source of international students in the United States. However, with the continued decline in the number of Chinese students in the United States, India surpassed China in the 2023-2024 academic year. This study abroad agent stated that with the start of the tariff war, many Chinese students who had originally intended to study in the United States are worried about the difficulty of staying there. He said, "Those considering studying abroad are now considering many things. They feel that there will be more restrictions on H1B visas for Chinese students, and they are worried about difficulties in obtaining work visas after arriving in the United States. Business as an study abroad agent is not doing well right now."
The H1B is a work visa issued by the United States. Every year, a large number of international students in the United States apply for this visa. India and China are the two major source countries for this visa applicant. According to data released by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), there were 470,342 valid H1B lottery applications in fiscal year 2025, a decrease of 38.6% from the 758,994 applications in fiscal year 2024. However, the H1B lottery success rate in fiscal year 2025 was only 28.73%, not a significant increase from the 24.82% success rate in fiscal year 2024.
International students in California: Some Chinese families are unable to afford tuition fees and there is panic among international students
California has the largest number of international students in the United States. In the 2022-2023 academic year, Chinese students comprised the largest group of California's 138,393 international students, accounting for 37.5%. In the 2023-2024 academic year, while Chinese students remained the largest group of international students in California, their proportion declined. Of California's 140,858 international students in that academic year, Chinese students comprised 36%.
Tiger, a Chinese national who has studied at UC Davis for many years, told this station that he hasn't noticed any signs of a decline in the number of Chinese students at the university. However, annual tuition fees exceeding $50,000 are a significant expense for some Chinese students' families. He said, "Because of the economic downturn, I've seen many cases, which only represent a phenomenon: some families' businesses are failing, and they suddenly have no money to pay tuition."
He also said that although he did not know the detailed statistics, given the downward trend of the Chinese economy, "When they say the number of international students has decreased, I think the overall situation must be that there are fewer students."
On March 14 this year, U.S. Congressman Riley Moore proposed the "Block Chinese Visas Act," which aims to prevent the issuance of visas to Chinese nationals to study and research in the United States, and has won the support of many members of Congress.
Wang Han, a Chinese student who has studied at the University of Southern California for many years and is currently preparing to apply for a doctorate, told this station that, based on his understanding, there is indeed a sense of panic among Chinese students currently on campus. While he himself hasn't felt such intense anxiety yet, he believes some Chinese students are concerned about their study abroad and visa status. He said, "I don't know exactly how many people there are, but at least this atmosphere is spreading within this community."
International students in Kentucky: China's economic downturn has reduced the number of Chinese students studying there
Han Yingchao, a student from Fujian who has studied at the University of Kentucky for many years, told this station that he can directly feel the number of Chinese students studying abroad in his area is also decreasing. He explained the reasons, saying, "I think one reason is the decline in the Chinese economy, which has led to a decrease in the number of parents who can afford to send their children abroad."
He also mentioned that with the current downturn in China's economy, returned overseas students are also facing employment difficulties in China. He said: "It's not so easy for returnees to find jobs because the overall job market in China is also declining. Therefore, many people feel that (studying abroad) is not very beneficial."
