What Impact Will a Slowing Economy Have on Chinese Demand for Study Abroad?
For decades, Chinese students have made up the bulk of undergraduate international students. In the US, we began to see a decline during the previous administration and then through the pandemic. While we are seeing the number of Chinese students increase, we are still below pre-pandemic numbers. This article highlights a potential shift we could begin seeing in the US: more students coming for postgraduate degrees due to the changing Chinese economy.
Youth unemployment is on the rise in China, and many young people are choosing to pursue graduate degrees rather than try to secure a job in a tough marketplace
This is an opportunity for foreign recruiters, but with a caveat: the new Chinese student-consumer is much more cautious and focused on ROI than in the past
Affordability and employability have risen as concerns
Read more on ICEF Monitor >
Americans Have Not Actually Turned Against Higher Education Like the Media Says
While this article does not deal with issues around international education, it is an interesting counter narrative to the “sky is falling” in US higher education. The article goes into great detail arguing against recent reporting on the fact that Americans are losing faith in the value of college. The article dives into the polling methodology used, the politics of higher education, the reasons for declining enrollments, and much more.
“... many of these articles are getting the story wrong. The polling data that form the basis for the narrative of college declinism is far more limited and nuanced than this framing suggests. Much of the data don’t actually measure changes over time. News accounts routinely confuse people’s attitudes toward colleges as political and cultural institutions with their desire to attend college or to send their children there. They also ignore basic demographic and economic trends.”
Learn more on New America >
New OPT Research – Advanced International STEM Students Increasingly Anticipate Shorter-Term Work Stays After Graduation. The US Can Do More To Retain Them.
This is an excellent read on the importance of Optional Practical Training (OPT). We all know that a large percentage of international students are studying in high-demand, high-skilled STEM fields. The research done by FWD.us shows that increasing numbers of international students understand the complexity of permanent immigration pathways and are looking for short-term work experience options; OPT provides this. As our competitors pull back on their international student policies, this is an opportunity for the US to lead and retain students who can help the US meet high-skilled job demands.
“The United States has a valuable opportunity to increase recruitment and retention of international advanced STEM students by better leveraging underutilized immigration pathways. At a time when restrictive policies are dampening interest in leading destinations like Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, the U.S. can reverse its recent declines and keep more international graduates working and contributing to the U.S. Winning the global race for talent is imperative to strengthen American competitiveness, bolster national security, and continue building and growing critical and emerging industries here.”
Get the full story on FWD.us >
DHS Announces New Student Toolkit to Combat Gender-Based Violence
“The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Council on Combating Gender-Based Violence (CCGBV) and the Department of Education have published a student toolkit on gender-based violence (GBV) for international students attending high schools, colleges and universities in the U.S. This new page is an online hub for information and resources to help international students.”
Learn more on the DHS website >
