Striking Increase in Chinese Students at U.S. Colleges and Universities

The number of mainland Chinese students at U.S. colleges and universities has increased dramatically over recent years, according to the latest Open Doors survey of international enrollments by the Institute of International Education.

Here’s some of the survey data, as reported by Inside Higher Ed:

The increase in Chinese undergraduates is particularly striking: 25.9 percent in 2012-13, 30.8 percent in 2011-12, and 43 percent in 2010-11. For the moment, graduate students still outnumber undergraduates:

39.8% undergraduates
43.9% graduate students
6.1% other
10.2% optional practical training

Mainland Chinese students now make up 28.7 percent of all international students in the U.S. “This is the largest concentration of students from any one place of origin that the U.S. has ever seen,” according to the Institute of International Education.

This trend has multiple causes in the U.S. (e.g., public universities’ shortfalls in state funding, price sensitivity of U.S. students) and China (e.g., competitiveness of university entrance exams, dissatisfaction with aspects of the Chinese education environment, desire to emigrate). The trend seems likely to continue for the foreseeable future. The many ways this trend will impact the two countries’ populations and relations is harder to predict.