The China Scholarship Council (CSC) has announced plans to provide financial support to 240 Chinese students pursuing master’s or PhD degrees at seven universities in the United States. The selected students will receive joint funding from the CSC and the participating US universities, which include the University of California (UC) Irvine, UC Davis, UC Riverside, Dartmouth College, the University of Notre Dame, Temple University, and the University of Tennessee.
Despite strained relations between the two countries, China remains the largest source of international students in the US. According to the Open Doors 2023 Report, China sent 289,526 students to the US in the 2022-23 academic year, followed closely by India with approximately 270,000 students.
However, the number of Chinese students in the US has declined slightly, with a 0.2% drop year-on-year. In 2020-21, Chinese enrollment decreased by nearly 15% due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of Chinese students in the US has now returned to 2013-14 levels, with a peak of 372,532 students recorded in the 2019-20 academic year.
US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell recently emphasized the need for more international students to pursue degrees in technology, engineering and mathematics. However, he suggested that the focus should be on recruiting Indian students rather than Chinese, stating that Chinese students are welcome to study humanities instead of STEM fields.
“I would like to see more Chinese students coming to the United States to study humanities and social sciences, not particle physics,” Campbell said at the Council on Foreign Relations.
The CSC’s initiative aims to support exceptional Chinese students in pursuing advanced degrees at top US universities. The selected students will receive financial support for their master’s or PhD studies, enabling them to focus on their academic pursuits without financial burdens. The participating US universities will also benefit from the influx of talented Chinese students, enriching their academic environments and fostering global collaboration. As the US continues to navigate its relationship with China, initiatives like the CSC’s scholarship program can help promote cultural exchange and understanding between the two nations.
