The number of Chinese students currently residing in the United States has significantly dropped over the past few years. The decrease in Chinese students is becoming evident as the rate of Chinese nationals has declined drastically since 2014. United States student visas issues to the Chinese individuals has lessened more than 50% compared with how many were issues prior to the pandemic. This is due to China’s strict Covid-19 restrictions along with a skewed outlook on United States education that has been recently looked down upon. Also, the pandemic made it difficult for Chinese students to obtain their F-1 student visas as there has been long processing times and scheduling delays for interviews. Those who were approved for student visas endured traveling hurdles due to restrictions.
The evident decline in Chinese students is unfavorable for United States institutions as they cannot rely on them paying full price tuition anymore. While sending their children abroad to the United States has been an aspiration for Chinese parents for years, the number of Chinese students has shrunk over the years. Now, many students are attending universities in Canada, Singapore, and the United Kingdom if they are not able to come to the United States.