
Why Chinese students aren't coming to study in the U.S.
The US-China Podcast · National Committee on U.S.-China Relations
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Show Notes
100,000 fewer Chinese international students are in the United States compared to 2019, and this trend is showing no signs of slowing. These students are a major economic driver in small college towns and large cities across the United States. In 2024, Chinese international students had an estimated $14.6 billion-dollar economic impact in the United States through tuition and living costs alone. They also greatly add to the science and engineering fields in the United States, particularly in AI and quantum computing. The cost of Chinese international students' contribution to the U.S. economy and academic institutions is difficult to calculate, but what impact does fewer Chinese international students have for the United States?
Yingyi Ma joined us in November 2025 to uncover why fewer Chinese students are coming to the United States and what that means for the U.S. economy and higher education.