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Snow Xia

The tide of Chinese students flowing abroad to study, which has tripled in the last decade, looks set to recede in the near future due to fears about the coronavirus pandemic and escalating China-US tensions, according to Chinese agencies that help students enrol at foreign universities.
About 40,000 mainland students went abroad in 2000, but that number soared to 662,100 in 2018, underlining one of the most significant changes in international education exchanges in decades.
The surge in the number of overseas Chinese students has brought talent and tuition fees to Western schools and created a booming business for agents like Zhang Jingshu.
Zhang, a co-founder of Haohai Consulting, has found a lucrative niche in helping Chinese students apply for admission to schools in the United States.


The firm was set up in the US state of Massachusetts in 2012 and in its first year helped two Chinese students from the city of Chengdu prepare their application for US schools, according to the firm’s website.
Its business quickly grew as Chinese parents and students looked for help to get their children into prestigious US schools.
The firm claims that in 2018-19 it helped 11 Chinese students to gain admission to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, seven to get into Harvard University, nine into Stanford University, 33 into the University of California, Berkeley, 62 into Carnegie Mellon University, as well as 68 into Columbia University. The South China Morning Post was unable to verify its claims.
However, the once successful business is now struggling as the coronavirus pandemic has halted international travel and cancelled overseas study plans for potential clients.
The year 2020 will be the first time that my industry has suffered a contraction since 1986
Zhang Jingshu
“The year 2020 will be the first time that my industry has suffered a contraction since 1986,” Zhang said, referring to the year the sector began in China.
Haohai Consulting is just one of more than 17,000 businesses jostling to help Chinese students study abroad, offering services ranging from preparing applications to booking air tickets, according to listings on Chinese corporate database Tianyancha.
Plunging demand due to the virus is expected to force many of the companies to shut, said some agents.
Zhang said his firm’s revenues are likely to fall by at least 50 per cent this year. “In some cases, the parents lost their jobs due to coronavirus, so the kids had to cancel their plans to study abroad.”


Some agents worried that even when the economy does return to normal, the attitude towards studying abroad is likely to have changed, at least for some.
The US, the largest destination for Chinese students last year, is enhancing scrutiny of students from China, especially in the fields of technology and science, due to national security concerns.
US President Donald Trump said last week that he would suspend visas for Chinese graduate students suspected of conducting research on behalf of government agencies, including the People’s Liberation Army.
In 2018-19, nearly 370,000 Chinese students enrolled in American schools, accounting for a third of total international students in the US. With the US becoming less welcoming, some Chinese students have shifted attention to opportunities in Britain and Australia.
“Chinese students are civilian ambassadors who play a role in promoting exchanges between China and the United States
Wang Huiyao
Wang Huiyao, the founder of the Centre for China and Globalisation, a think-tank in Beijing, said fewer Chinese studying in the US could cast a shadow over bilateral relations.
“Chinese students are civilian ambassadors who play a role in promoting exchanges between China and the United States,” Wang said.
Yang Yi, founder of Yishi Consulting, said some clients were now asking whether it would be a good time to take a “gap year” – typically a year-long break before or after studying – although many who have made the investment to study abroad are sticking with their plans.
But the number of new clients is falling quickly, Yang added.


The flow of Chinese students is unlikely to dry up completely as a foreign diploma, or the chance of settling down in an advanced economy, remains a sought-after goal for many middle class Chinese families.
Yang Xiyun, a 20-year-old student, is transferring to study psychology at the University of Auckland in New Zealand after studying at a Chinese university for a year. She was supposed to be enrolled in the spring but decided to take a gap semester.
There was never a doubt that she would study abroad, as overseas universities have better educational resources, she said.
“My parents are always willing to support me to study abroad as far as they can afford.”



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Chinese students studying abroad rose to 662,100 in 2018 from only 40,000 in 2000
But education agencies report applications from new clients are falling due to fears about the coronavirus and new restrictions by the US government



Chinese education agencies are reporting applications from students looking to study abroad are falling due to fears about the coronavirus and new US restrictions.


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