College Competition Heats Up as Chinese College Students Flock to U.S. Campuses January 5, 2010
Ian Welham discusses Chinese college flocking to American colleges
Getting into college is already difficult enough. But what happens when you are not only competing against people in your country, but against students from other countries as well? This is a growing trend on U.S. college campuses. For example, the number of Chinese college students attending American universities has risen dramatically over the last few years.
The result: increased competition for every college seat.
Last year the number of Chinese graduate and undergraduate students coming to the U.S. to attend college was 98,510. This represents a 60% increase in Chinese undergraduate students in just one year. That trend is likely to continue. More and more, international students will compete with American students for seats at top colleges.
If we think college entrance pressures are keen here, consider this: Two years ago in China, 10 million students took the college entrance test in hopes of landing one of the 5.7 million University spots. Also, in China there is an entrance exam called the gaokao. This exam is the only standard to determine your college and, in turn, your area of study. The U.S. system is much more welcoming—and offers far greater choice.
Often, foreign students don’t receive much college financial aid; they often pay “sticker price,” for their U.S. college degree. U.S. universities with shrinking endowments and growing expenses welcome these full-tuition students.
