Cover: Chinese Students Rethink the Benefits of a U.S. Education (AI Translation)
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This article was translated from Chinese using AI. The translation may contain inaccuracies. Click the button on the right to hide or reveal the original version.
当地时间2025年6月4日，美国马萨诸塞州剑桥，哈佛大学的威德纳图书馆。过去几个月，哈佛大学和美国政府在国际学生问题上激烈对决。图：Cassandra Klos/视觉中国
文｜财新周刊 汤涵钰 张粲 范俏佳，徐佳扬、马世雯（实习）
By Caixin Weekly’s Tang Hanyu, Zhang Can, Fan Qiaojia, Xu Jiayang, Ma Shiwen (Intern)
6月3日，孟其远拿着一张蓝色单子走出美国驻华大使馆，心里暂时松了一口气。这张回执单意味着，他今年秋季即将赴美读书的F-1学生签证（非移民倾向的全日制学生签证）通过了。在面签的同一天，他看见很多人都是蓝色单子。“先过一关。”这或许是许多人共同的心情。
On June 3, Meng Qiyuan walked out of the U.S. Embassy in China holding a blue receipt slip, feeling a momentary sense of relief. This slip signified that his F-1 student visa— a non-immigrant visa for full-time students, which would allow him to study in the United States this fall— had been approved. On the day of his visa interview, he noticed that many applicants also carried blue slips. “It’s the first hurdle cleared,” he thought— an emotion likely shared by many others.
在过去四个月见证哈佛大学与美国政府激烈对决后，近两周内，围绕美国留学生签证这几页纸的命运，又牵动着近30万正在美国以及将要赴美的中国学生的心。
Over the past four months, after witnessing the fierce showdown between Harvard University and the U.S. government, the fate of just a few sheets of paper—U.S. student visas—has once again stirred the anxieties of nearly 300,000 Chinese students currently in the United States or preparing to study there over the past two weeks.
先是美东时间5月27日，美国国务卿鲁比奥发出一份政策电报，要求美国在全球的使领馆立即暂停接受新的学生签证面签预约，以便美国国务院扩大对学签申请人的社交媒体审查。不过已经预约的面签可以继续进行；预计新的学生签证预约将在未来几天内恢复。
First, on May 27 Eastern Time, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a policy cable directing all U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide to immediately suspend acceptance of new student visa interview appointments. The move is intended to give the State Department time to expand its social media scrutiny of student visa applicants. Interviews that have already been scheduled may continue as planned, and new student visa appointments are expected to resume in the coming days.
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Caixin is acclaimed for its high-quality, investigative journalism. This section offers you a glimpse into Caixin’s flagship Chinese-language magazine, Caixin Weekly, via AI translation. The English translation may contain inaccuracies.
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Cover: Chinese Students Rethink the Benefits of a U.S. Education (AI Translation)
Explore the story in 30 seconds
- The U.S. government has implemented stricter visa policies for Chinese students, including increased scrutiny and potential revocations of F-1 visas, particularly for those in "sensitive fields."
- This policy shift has led to increased anxiety among Chinese students, with some considering alternative study destinations like the UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Canada, while others persist with U.S. study plans despite the risks.
- The value of studying abroad is being reevaluated due to geopolitical uncertainties, a challenging U.S. job market for international graduates, and increased competition with domestic graduates in China.
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Who’s Who
- EIC Education
启德教育 - EIC Education provided data from their 2024 survey of prospective international students. The data showed that "finding better job opportunities in the future" was the primary reason for choosing to study abroad in 2024. This factor also significantly influenced students' selection of universities, with "graduate employment rate" being a key consideration.
- New Oriental Education & Technology Group
新东方教育科技集团 - New Oriental Education & Technology Group, a prominent Chinese education company, recently released a report indicating that 59% of undergraduate students intend to study abroad in 2025, the highest percentage since 2020. This trend underscores a strong desire among Chinese students, particularly those from "Double First-Class" universities, to enhance their skills through international education.
- Microsoft
微软 - Microsoft, a significant tech company in Silicon Valley, reportedly initiated layoffs affecting 5,000-6,000 employees in May 2025. This occurred amidst a broader "layoff wave" that has impacted the US tech and financial sectors since early 2022.
- McKinsey & Company
麦肯锡 - This article does not contain information about McKinsey & Company. The term "麦肯锡" (McKinsey) appears once in the article, but it is in the context of job cuts at large companies, not information about McKinsey & Company itself.
- Signalfire
Signalfire - Signalfire is a venture capital firm that tracks career trends. Their recent report indicated a significant decrease in new graduate hires at large tech companies (25% down from 2023, over 50% down from 2019) and startups (11% down from last year, over 30% down from 2019).
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What Happened When
- June 2018：
- U.S. State Department reduced the validity of student visas for Chinese graduate students in 'sensitive' areas from five years to one year.
- 2019：
- Trump barred Chinese students and scholars with military ties from entering the U.S. if they held F or J visas.
- 2019/20 academic year：
- Number of Chinese graduate students in the U.S. peaked after 14 consecutive years of growth.
- Since around 2014–2015：
- The 'halo effect' of studying abroad for Chinese students began to diminish rapidly.
- Since around 2019：
- Foreign companies became progressively less attractive to university students than private Chinese firms.
- Since 2019：
- Zhaopin.com data: Salaries for jobs prioritizing overseas returnees have risen for six consecutive years, reaching an average monthly salary of 15,440 yuan.
- 2019, 2020, 2021：
- Priority job postings for returnees fell year-on-year by 25.4%, 23.5%, and 0.4% respectively.
- 2020：
- COVID-19 pandemic caused U.S. universities to transition to online learning and clear dormitories, deeply impacting international students.
- 2020：
- COVID-19 pandemic caused online classes and travel restrictions, impacting international education and experiences.
- 2020/21 academic year：
- Sharp decrease in number of Chinese undergraduates and graduate students in U.S.
- Summer 2020：
- Over 50 American universities sued the Trump administration, blocking its attempt to revoke visas for international students who participated in online learning.
- 2021：
- Joe Biden took office, signaling an easing of U.S. policy toward Chinese students.
- 2021：
- The number of overseas Chinese students returning home for employment surpassed 1 million for the first time.
- 2021：
- Private enterprises cut priority jobs for returnees by 2.3%; joint-stock firms by 8.7%; state-owned enterprises by 3.6%.
- September 2021：
- Shen Lu began her doctoral studies in the U.S. in biomedical engineering.
- February 23, 2022：
- U.S. Department of Justice announced the termination of the Trump-era 'China Initiative.'
- First half of 2022：
- Tech companies in Silicon Valley entered a 'hiring freeze mode,' with layoffs ongoing since.
- 2022：
- Chen Qi began her master’s degree at Johns Hopkins University after graduating from a '985' university in China.
- 2023：
- Liepin report: Average annual salary for overseas-educated talent dropped from RMB 268,200 in 2020 to RMB 204,500 in H1 2023.
- 2023–2024 academic year：
- Number of Chinese students in the U.S. fell by 4.2% to 277,000, its lowest level in a decade.
- January 2024：
- Shen Lu's F-1 visa expired.
- 2024：
- The number of fresh overseas graduates seeking jobs upon returning to China increased 19% compared to the previous year.
- 2024：
- Anticipated average annual salary for recent returnees declined slightly from RMB 174,000 to RMB 172,200.
- 2024 graduation season：
- Chen Qi and classmates struggled to find jobs amid tightening job market for international students.
- Summer 2024 – Spring 2025：
- Chen Qi’s boss withdrew her contract for a full-time job three times, citing financial difficulties.
- Since September 2024：
- A Shanghai international high school started offering A Level courses along with IB program to tenth grade.
- November 2024：
- Donald Trump returned to the White House.
- As of March 2025：
- 18,000 Chinese students applied to U.S. undergraduate programs for the 2024–2025 academic year via the Common App platform.
- March 2025：
- U.S. Vice President JD Vance stated that immigrants' student visas could be revoked if not in the country’s best interest.
- Late March 2025：
- Several U.S. universities noticed the ICE had directly revoked F-1 student visas within SEVIS.
- April 2025：
- Department of Homeland Security requested Harvard University to provide information on misconduct and criminal records of its foreign students.
- May 2025：
- Microsoft and McKinsey both planned further layoffs, each affecting approximately 5–6,000 employees.
- May 14, 2025：
- Li Shuang had his student visa interview in Hong Kong and was handed a white slip, putting his application under administrative review.
- May 22, 2025：
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security suspended Harvard University’s ability to enroll new international students and required already admitted foreign students to transfer or risk losing their legal status.
- May 23, 2025：
- Several of Hong Kong’s top universities, including HKUST, CityU, and PolyU, announced support measures for affected Harvard students.
- May 26, 2025：
- University of Tokyo stated it would temporarily admit international students unable to continue at Harvard University.
- May 27, 2025：
- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a policy cable instructing all U.S. embassies and consulates to immediately suspend new student visa interview appointments.
- May 28, 2025：
- U.S. State Department announced measures to begin revoking the visas of Chinese students, including those studying in critical fields, and would revise visa regulations for applicants from mainland China and Hong Kong.
- May 28, 2025：
- Osaka University announced a special fund for up to 100 medical PhD researchers stranded due to U.S. policy changes.
- May 29, 2025：
- Zhao Xuan learned of the Trump administration’s plan to revoke visas for Chinese students.
- June 2, 2025：
- National University of Singapore Business School announced it would accept students admitted to management or MBA programs at top 20 QS-ranked universities.
- June 3, 2025：
- Meng Qiyuan walked out of the U.S. Embassy in China with a blue slip, signifying the approval of his F-1 student visa.
- June 4, 2025：
- Trump signed a presidential proclamation barring new Harvard students with nonimmigrant F, M, or J category visas from entering the U.S.
- June 6, 2025：
- As of this date, several U.S.-based China studies scholars were petitioning Secretary of State Rubio to reconsider the recently announced visa restrictions on Chinese students.
- January 29, 2025：
- Donald Trump signed an Executive Order instructing the Department of Homeland Security to strengthen oversight of universities regarding 'anti-Semitism' and foreign influence, targeting Harvard University.
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