Remarks of
Donald M. Bishop
Minister-Counselor for Press and Cultural Affairs American Embassy Beijing
At the American Center for Educational Exchange
My topic today is opportunities for Chinese students to study in the United States. Consider it a news report — a “good news” report. The news report has headlines, and it has facts.
Here are the headlines: Colleges and universities in the United States welcome foreign students. America continues to be the top destination for Chinese students seeking higher education overseas. American universities support even those who fund their own education, through public money and endowments. Visa issuance rates are rising.
Now here’s the story beneath the headlines, or, as a famous American radio commentator tells his listeners, here’s “the rest of the story.”
Students and Visas: Facts Don’t Support the Rumors
I have learned a few things from my visits to Chinese campuses. One is that because American higher education is the world’s best, Chinese students are eager to study in the United States. Another is that students and faculty will always ask me about visas. The reason for my visit may be to discuss an exchange program, to give a lecture, to attend a symposium, or perhaps to discuss the American Presidential election. But I know for sure I will always hear “the V-word,” visas. And I know from those conversations that the topic has become controversial, even emotional. Some of the controversy and emotion has, alas, become disconnected from the facts.
So today, I am here to talk about American education, about the more than 60,000 Chinese students at American universities, and, yes, about visas. Today provides a longer time to examine these issues than the usual campus conversation permits. Let me address some of the misunderstandings and some of the rumors. Let me round out your understanding with some perspectives and some figures.
Let me aim, too, for candor, starting with the decline – between four and five percent – in the number of Chinese students in the United States last year. It sounds like it is bad news, but in the story there is good news about the progress of Chinese education.
Bear with me while I cover the preliminary ground and while I clear out some underbrush. I begin with three large points.
The American System of Higher Education
Point One. The United States has a large, varied, and innovative system of higher education.
It is large. America has more than 2,300 four-year, degree-granting colleges and universities. There are also more than 1,800 two-year institutions, “community colleges.”
Compare these large numbers to those of other countries. The United Kingdom has 228 degree-granting universities and colleges, Germany 368, France 545, and Japan 709. South Korea has about 200; so does Canada. Australia has 42, New Zealand 31, South Africa 23.
It is varied. The schools of the Ivy League are certainly well-known, and many Chinese students aspire to attend these seven world-class private universities. Also private are such great universities as Stanford University, the University of Chicago, New York University, and the University of Southern California. Private universities originally founded by religious congregations are another large sector. Among the most noted would be Georgetown University, Baylor University, Brigham Young University, and the University of Notre Dame. And besides these “name” schools there are many others.
Fewer Chinese students initially concentrate on the tremendous educational power of the 50 state university systems which educate about 80 percent of American students. Each state, depending on its size, has an array of schools — comprehensive universities, universities that emphasize science and engineering, liberal arts colleges, and community colleges. Some states have military colleges and maritime universities. The old teacher’s colleges and agricultural schools have become comprehensive universities. So too have most of the old “branch campuses.” A recent study of American CEO’s has shown that fewer have Ivy League degrees than before; nearly half of the Fortune 100 CEO’s received their educations at the state universities.
The savvy foreign student hoping to study in the United States probably should not begin by looking at universities per se, but at programs within universities. Americans know, for instance, that our top music schools include Indiana University (Indiana’s flagship state comprehensive university) and the University of North Texas (originally one of that state’s teachers colleges).
When I say that America’s system of higher education is innovative, I have two meanings. The first is that American higher education is moving through a creative period of innovation. There is a new emphasis on flexible curricula and flexible scheduling. Distance learning and continuing education – especially education for professionals in health care, law enforcement, and business, for instance – are flourishing. MBA programs that meet on weekends or during the summer have become popular.
But when I say that American education is innovative, I mean primarily that in every field at every level it emphasizes creativity, critical thinking skills, and the ability to challenge authority and prevailing paradigms. In this regard, America leads not only in physics but also in such fields as accounting, history, and business.
The returned Chinese students that I meet all agree that their greatest challenge was the transition to a classroom where students ask questions, reply to questions, and state and defend points of view. Students challenge and defend one another’s papers in graduate seminars. Later, their research and papers must go through peer review. The returned students are all unanimous in saying that — after the initial classroom shock — learning these creative thinking and presentation skills was the greatest reward of their time of study in the United States. At a time when China has embraced opening and reform, there can be no greater need.
Welcoming Students from China
Point Two. These American institutions welcome students from China. I know from meeting dozens and dozens of university presidents and deans from all over the United States that American schools welcome students from China. Rumors to the contrary, more than 60,000 Chinese students are studying in the United States, and perhaps 20,000 enter our programs each year. There are half again as many Chinese students in the United States as in the United Kingdom, three times more than those studying in Germany, nearly six times those studying in France. In some countries, there seem to be large numbers of Chinese students, but a second look at the figures shows that many are in language, vocational, and undergraduate programs. Most Chinese studying in the United States, in contrast, are in solid graduate programs. We’ll look at the Chinese student numbers in more detail in a moment.
American Higher Education is a Bargain
Point Three. U.S. universities are a great bargain. My saying this may surprise students (and parents) who are paying expensive tuition bills. But it is true.
As high as American tuitions can be — more than $30,000 per year for some private universities, between $15,000 and $25,000 for state universities — the tuition and other fees charged to students only cover a share of the whole cost of the education. Generalizing for the state universities in fifty states, tuition covers perhaps one-fourth of costs. Another way to say this is that a student receives a dollar’s worth of education for perhaps twenty-five cents. The university’s other costs are supported by the taxpayers, which means the farmers and factory workers and business people of one of the fifty states.
At private universities (again generalizing), tuition and fees generally cover a little under one-half of the cost. The private university’s endowment (representing donations by alumni and foundations over many years) pays the rest of the cost.
Another way to look at this is that every student admitted to an American university receives an (unstated) scholarship, or perhaps a subsidy, from American society. Every state debates the amount of money allocated for higher education each year. Every state wants to keep education fees low to benefit its own low-income students. But every year, states agree to use tens or hundreds of millions of dollars to subsidize the students that come from foreign nations. These billions of dollars demonstrate a true American commitment to diversity and international understanding.
More than Sixty Thousand Chinese Students
Chinese students have responded to these opportunities, to the welcome, and to the good value.
The annual statistics gathered by the Institute for International Education show that during the 2003-2004 academic year, there were 61,765 Chinese students at institutions of higher education in the United States. They are nearly 11 percent of all the foreign students in our country. Only one country, India, sends more students to American campuses.
Most Chinese students in the United States – 82 percent – are graduate students. This is partly true because Chinese students in mathematics, sciences, and engineering are often able to qualify to be Teaching Assistants and Research Assistants, thus qualifying for free or lower tuition. These opportunities are not generally available to undergraduates.
There is a new flow of undergraduates to American colleges and universities under the auspices of the new “1-2-1” undergraduate programs. A student studies one year at his or her university in China and then studies for two years at a partner school in the United States. After finishing senior year back in China, the student receives the bachelor’s degree.
Last Year’s Decline in Chinese Students on American Campuses
Yes, there was a decline in the number of Chinese students in the United States in the past year. The decline was a small one, however, about 4.6 percent.
Contrary to internet rumors or campus buzz, it does not appear that there is any single explanation — “9/11,” for instance — for this first-time, small decline. Rather several factors bear on the flow of Chinese students to the United States.
In examining this issue, it may be first be useful to consider it from two sides. One angle of view is to consider U.S. social conditions, policies, actions or procedures that may affect foreign students. Another angle is to examine factors originating in China. Let’s look first at the U.S. side.
… Factors on the American Side
The American parents who pay their children’s bills for tuition and other expenses know that costs are rising at American universities. This was discussed in the Presidential campaign, and I assure you it is extensively debated in Congress and in every state legislature. Still, the plain fact is that costs for higher education are rising, even faster than the rate of inflation. Americans would not be candid if we did not acknowledge that some foreign students look at the higher costs and look for other options.
Resource and staff shortages in the 1990s led to shorter interview times and backlogs to receive an appointment — in other visa categories, but not for students. The Embassy and the consulates in China always made provisions for students — special appointment times — so that they could more conveniently apply for visas without long waits. Now, the visa appointment call center allows central management of visa appointments, which has resulted in shorter waiting times. As before, the visa call center has special procedures in place to give students an even shorter waiting time than applicants in other categories – usually within two weeks.
The changed international environment in the wake of the wake of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, has been a major factor affecting all visa applications. There are new laws and new regulations that affect travel to and within the United States. Americans feel them with increased searches at all U.S. airports, and in the requirement to obtain new electronically readable passports. Soon, every American passport will require a biometric indicator – a face scan. The United States is not unique. Prompted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), every country is moving to include biometric indicators in its travel documents.
Here is a good place to mention the new requirement for fingerprinting of visa applicants. A fingerprint is one of the “biometric indicators” – eye scans and face scans are other methods — unique to every individual. The use of biometric indicators guarantees that the person carrying documents (like a passport or visa) is indeed the person to whom the document was issued.
Passports have always had biometric indicators. A look at the large vellum passport documents used in the nineteenth century shows that they too had biometric indicators, though they were primitive – the entries for height, weight, eye color, distinguishing marks, and complexion. In the twentieth century, passports advanced in technology, and the new biometric indicator was the photograph. That new visas, in an era of new threats, should reflect improved technology and use fingerprints should come as no surprise. In the modern version of the technology, there is no longer any roller, ink, and fingerprint card. The applicant merely places his or her index fingers on the electronic reader and the work is done.
The fingerprinting of visa applicants has already resulted in the arrest of hundreds criminals when they tried to enter the United States. In today’s environment, fingerprinting is a prudent and an unobtrusive measure.
Another new requirement is that visa applications from individuals with backgrounds in certain scientific and technical fields must be submitted to Washington for review. We acknowledge that there were long delays in the approval of some of these visas beginning in the fall of 2002 and continuing into 2003. Among the many applications reviewed by Washington, only a tiny handful have not, in the end, been approved. But the initial period of long delays may have caused some Chinese students to change their plans and proceed with their studies at home or in another country. And others may have been discouraged from applying at all.
I have good news to report, however. After great deal of work – the Consular Section in Beijing took the lead in working with Washington – 19 in 20 of these applications are resolved within thirty days. The average waiting time is about three weeks. The key here is for a student in a scientific or technical field to apply for a visa early. And the lesson for right now is this: if you hear from a friend that it takes months to get an approval for a visa in a scientific or technical field, your friend’s information is badly out of date.
Many students I meet are convinced that the Embassy has nearly closed the door to Chinese students. Let’s look at the Embassy’s figures of visa applications and visa issuances in the “F,” “J,” and “M” categories.
In FY2002 (the year ending September 30, 2002), more than 26,000 students received visas. The issuance rate was just under half. This, moreover, was the “raw” issuance rate, simply dividing the number of issuances by the number of interviews. The actual rate was higher because some students — initially denied because they lacked this or that document, for instance — received visas on their second or third application.
FY2003 was the first year to show a decline in applications for student visas — down 15 percent. That year, nonetheless, more than 18,000 Chinese students received visas. For those students who did apply, there was only a modest decline in issuances — about four percentage points fewer than the year before. Again, the actual issuance rate may have been close to half.
In FY2004 there was another decline in applications, down 28 percent from the FY2002 high. Still, more than 22,000 students received visas. The raw issuance rate was about 5 approvals for every 8 applications. The actual rate may have been 2 in 3.
So — as of the year ending last September, applications were down, but the percentage of approvals had risen, not fallen.
This tells me that while there may be campus buzz that the United States does not welcome Chinese students — a perception — the figures show that the students who do apply have an even better chance of receiving a visa than before. Thus, the perception doesn’t match the reality. The facts show that the door for students is more than open, and it’s a very good time for Chinese students to knock.
…and Chinese Factors
Having looked at the decline through two American lenses — the figures from the Institute of International Education and the Embassy’s visa issuance statistics — let’s look at the decline in Chinese students from another angle. Are there Chinese factors at work?
For a decade China has been implementing bold plans to expand higher education. You all know the details far better than I do – the doubled throughput for bachelor’s degrees and a near-doubling in the master’s and doctoral degrees awarded each year. There have been huge investments in new campuses and laboratories. There is more financial aid. If China’s own graduate schools are expanding, and if costs are so much lower to obtain a degree in China, should it be any surprise that this might lessen the demand for education in the United States?
Also, there has been a side effect of this rapid expansion. It is that salaries for new graduates entering the workplace are lower. Also lower are the salaries that foreign degree holders earn after they return to China. Education overseas is, we can all acknowledge, expensive. Students and their families invested in foreign education partly because they knew foreign degree holders earned a premium when they returned. That premium is now smaller. That means that there is a smaller “payoff” on the investment in a foreign education. It is simple economics that this should result in fewer applications for study in the United States.
Some who allege that the United States no longer welcomes Chinese students argue that there has been a dramatic turn away from American universities to attend school in other countries. But other nations — Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Germany, Austria, and Japan among them — also report declines in the number of Chinese student applications. They are all wondering where the “missing” Chinese students are going. The logical conclusion is that they are going to school in China.
Here’s another factor that surely bears on this decline. I said earlier that American higher education is innovative, especially in business administration. One of the fruits of the innovation has been a boom in EMBA programs that are friendly to working professionals. That innovation has reached China. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of American universities now offer EMBA and other programs here in China. They provide the education here without the need for a long period of study in the U.S. This is good news for the students, good news for Chinese companies and government organizations, and good news for China, but it also means that fewer Chinese students apply for similar programs in the U.S.
Finally, who cannot have noticed that other English-speaking countries have increased the promotion of their own higher education systems?
At the Visa Interview
During an interview with a student visa applicant, the interviewing visa officer has four main areas to explore. Was there anything fraudulent in the student’s application for admission to the university, or is there anything fraudulent in the visa application? Does the student have a well-considered study plan? Are sufficient funds available to finance the education without working in the United States? And, can we judge that the student intends to return to China? Let’s look at these large questions in turn.
An honest application: There’s an unfortunate reality that all Chinese applicants for visas encounter. Many applicants — those whose true intention is to immigrate to the United States — arrive at the visa window with counterfeit documents, bogus letters of invitation, and fictitious bank statements. Of course it is the honest applicant who is surprised to hear questions that may imply that documents are forged and that the announced study plan is suspect. In this case, anger at the visa officer or the Embassy or the United States is misplaced. The anger should be directed against those who lie and cheat; those who prepare applications, essays, and letters of recommendations for applicants; and those who sell false documents.
A well-considered study plan: If you could stand by an officer at the visa window, you would also be discouraged by the number of applicants who seem to know very little about the school they hope to attend, who do not have much to say about their study plan, and haven’t thought through what they intend to do with their new degree once they return to China. It gives the consular officer the impression that the application has been hurried and careless at best, or was based on false letters of reference or grades at worst. There are also cases of students who may have good plans, but they are unable to explain them in English at the interview.
Enough money: The applicant for a student visa must demonstrate to the interviewing consular officer that his or her family has sufficient funds to cover the cost of the education. This means bringing a large number of documents — bank accounts and deeds, for instance — to the interview. Not bringing these documents is a common reason for an initial rejection.
Ties to China: Another important issue for the interviewing consular officer is whether the applicant for a visa intends to immigrate. American law has a simple, clear principle. A person who intends to immigrate must apply for an immigration visa. Another kind of visa (for study, business, or tourism, for instance) cannot be issued to someone whose intention is to immigrate. Again, it is the honest applicant that suffers from the fact that many other applicants — who say they are business people, or students, or tourists — actually intend to stay and work in the United States.
I should mention one particular scam involving student visas. Until recently, many applicants who received student visas never showed up at the U.S. schools and never registered as new students. They had successfully deceived the Embassy and received a visa, but they never even began their study. It has taken a few years to put together a solution. The new SEVIS system insures that the student who receives a student visa does indeed begin studying. The system is costly, and Congress decided to apply to this new field the principle that Americans apply to many other areas of public expense. Those who use bridges pay tolls. Those that pass through airports pay an airport fee when they buy their tickets. And those who receive student visas now pay an additional SEVIS fee.
The Door is Open
Let me conclude by repeating the headlines: Colleges and universities in the United States welcome foreign students. America continues to be the top destination for Chinese students seeking higher education overseas. American universities support even those who fund their own education, through public money and endowments. And a rising percentage of Chinese students receive visas.
There are several sources of information for Chinese students who hope to study in the United States.
The internet has a wealth of resources. In addition to the home pages of colleges and universities, I recommend that a student visit the web page of the American Embassy (www.usembassy-china.org.cn) and the Institute for International Education (www.iie-china.org). The IIE web site is in Chinese. Those who want a broad perspective on U.S. higher education can visit the State Department’s (English-language) website on study in the United States (www.educationUSA.state.gov).
The American government provides directories, catalogs, and other publications to 61 organizations in China. The locations can be found at (http://www.usembassy-china.org.cn/acee/admaster.html).
Here’s my message for Chinese students. The United States remains the best place in the world to seek the benefits of higher education. Don’t let rumors and outdated facts keep you from applying. I hope you’ll find your way to an American campus.
留学新闻 1 Comment