US loses ground as most coveted place for Chinese students abroad

On June 3, 2019, two Chinese students walk in the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California, the United States. The US lost ground as the most coveted place for Chinese students to pursue higher education abroad in the first half of 2022 due to the XINHUA NEW YORK - The number of US student visas issued to Chinese nationals fell by more than 50 percent compared to pre-COVID 19 levels, with the United States losing ground as the most coveted place to pursue higher education abroad, according to The Wall Street Journal on Thursday.

Even before the epidemic, Chinese students were shifting their study-abroad sights elsewhere, driven by doubts about whether they would feel welcome in the United States and the emergence of more domestic and international alternatives. Travel restrictions and heightened safety concerns accelerated the decline, according to the report.

The United States issued 31,055 F-1 visas to Chinese nationals in the first six months of 2022, down from 64,261 for the same period in 2019 according to data from the US State Department. The report noted that the drop has hit revenue at big and small colleges and universities around the country, including state flagships.

The report said that China has been the top source of international students to the United States for more than a decade, providing universities with crucial tuition dollars to offset domestic declines and dwindling state funding at public universities.

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Chinese nationals made up for 35 percent of foreigners studying in the United States in the year 2019 -- 20 and contributed $15.9 billion in economic value, according to the numbers tracked and aggregated by the Institute of International Education's Open Doors report.