The government of China is continuing to help young talent pursue graduate education in the United States, despite increasing geopolitical tensions between the two countries.
Up to 240 outstanding Chinese students will be selected to work towards a master’s degree or doctorate at seven partner universities in the US next year, according to an announcement posted on the China Scholarship Council (CSC) website earlier this month.
Their studies will be jointly sponsored by CSC and the 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.
Various programmes across a wide range of research fields, such as agriculture, public health, liberal arts and sociology are open for application, according to the post from the CSC, which is affiliated to the Ministry of Education and the primary body providing state-funded scholarships to facilitate academic exchange.
Most of the universities offer PhD programmes in computer science, biomedical engineering and other key areas where China and the US are competing for global leadership.
For instance, students can apply to study at UC Irvine’s Henry Samueli School of Engineering, including its department of mechanical and aerospace engineering. There are 10 slots available for PhD students and five for visiting students, according to the institute’s website.
CSC will cover in-state tuition and offer a monthly stipend for the first two years. Starting from the third year of doctoral studies, UC Irvine will provide full tuition and health insurance as long as the student maintains good academic standing, according to UC Irvine and CSC.
All CSC scholarship recipients are required to return to China upon graduation and work there for at least two years.
Last year, CSC sent more than 10,000 students abroad for advanced education. Besides the US, other popular destinations included Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
While China still comprised the largest group of international students in the US in 2023, most were graduate students without a scholarship or funding from the Chinese government.
The total number of Chinese students in the US dropped to about 290,000 during the 2022-23 academic year from a peak of more than 372,000 three years earlier, according to the latest Open Doors report compiled by the New York-based Institute of International Education.
While the Covid-19 pandemic affected numbers, heated geopolitical tensions between China and the US also played a role. Chinese students wishing to enter the US face visa denials and intense scrutiny – turning many away from what was once a top study destination.
Earlier this year, more than a dozen Chinese students enrolled in PhD programmes at prestigious American universities, including Yale and Johns Hopkins, were denied entry to the US after visiting family in China, according to domestic and international media reports.
Despite holding valid visas, they were put on a plane and deported back to China. Some faced a five-year ban on returning to the US, leaving their research and degree plans in limbo.
The reason for such treatment remained unknown, according to Science magazine’s reporting in March.
