China’s STEM push draws Asian, African students as US tightens access

China enrolled 380,000 international students during the 2024-25 academic year, with Asian and African students leading enrollment gains driven by affordable STEM programs and Beijing’s expanding global influence.

Growing appeal: Students from 191 countries and regions are currently studying in the country, according to the Ministry of Education. Asian and African students made up 61% and 16% of the cohort, respectively, while engineering-related fields accounted for 28% of degree-level enrollments. Graze Zhu, China branch manager at consultancy Bonard, told Times Higher Education that the trend signals “a shift from the past focus on language and culture to a new reality where strong industrial capabilities have directly transformed into a core competitive advantage in educational appeal.”

An expected decline: China’s enrollment growth coincides with a sharp decline in Asian student arrivals to the U.S. Arrivals from Asia fell nearly 24% in August compared to the prior year, the lowest August figure outside the pandemic, according to government data. The decline follows a series of restrictive measures by the Trump administration, including visa processing delays, travel restrictions on several Asian countries and the revocation of more than 6,000 student visas for alleged violations in 2025.

Why this matters: The shift has direct consequences for Asian American communities in the U.S. Chinese students alone represent roughly 25% of the international student population, making major contributions to university revenues and research programs. A NAFSA analysis projected up to a 40% decline in new foreign student enrollment, depriving local economies of $7 billion in spending and more than 60,000 jobs. Madeline Zavodny, an economics professor at the University of North Florida, warned in a May 2025 National Foundation for American Policy report that the crisis could trigger college closures, with the sharpest impact on regional universities and small liberal arts colleges.

The enrollment shifts unfold as China holds a five-point edge over the U.S. in global leadership approval, its largest margin in nearly two decades of polling.