Huge Increase of Chinese Students Enrolling in US Colleges, Helping Reducing Deficit

by Mike Smith · 2009-11-21 05:54:00 UTC
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There are protests in California over college fees, but the protests are unlikely to seriously concern university authorities considering the dramatic increase in the number of Chinese students enrolling into US universities. Though they do not yet outnumber Indian students, they represent an enticing method for administrators to fill gaps in their budgets.

98,510 Chinese students came to study in the U.S., in the last year (an increase of 21%) whilst India sends 103,260 (an increase of 9%). This may make universities less willing to compromise on increasing tuition fees, but it is of course also having the impact of softening any increases — if no students came, the budget deficit would be substantially greater.

And it's not just the education system which benefits from foreign students' money, "Foreign students bring $17.8 billion to this country," explained Allan E Goodman, president of the Institute of International Education, to the NYT. Meanwhile, universities are also opening franchises in India and China, extending their university's brand from Durham N.C. to New Delhi, allowing them to train students without even requiring them to come to the U.S. Higher education is changing, and Chinese and Indian students are both helping fund the U.S. college system, whilst simultaneously challenging American policymakers to stop being so complacent when it comes to education.

Photo: Lanchongzi

Mike Smith is associate editor at Change.org.
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