BEIJING - Caught in the crossfire of the US-China trade war, Chinese students are looking for alternative study destinations - threatening to turn off an important source of revenue for American universities.
Japan and South Korea - traditional study abroad destinations for the Chinese elite - and parts of Europe, especially Germany and Scandinavian countries with strong engineering programmes, have also seen an uptick in applications, the survey found. But the number of Chinese students in the US dipped by 2 per cent in March compared to the previous year, the first drop since 2009, data from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement shows.
'UNFAIRLY SCRUTINISED' Chinese students contributed US$13 billion to the US economy last year, a figure that includes tuition fees and living expenses, according to NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Eric Wang, 25, a doctoral student at Purdue university in Indiana, said he was nervous about having to renew his visa every year.