Martijn is then joined by an expanded panel for a discussion on sustainable recruitment through a China-to-UK lens.

The panel includes Christina Ke, Managing Director of UOffer Global; Dave Amor, Founder and Director of Higher Insights; Jian Li, Deputy Director (Education) with the British Council; Cheryl Xu, Director of China Office for the University of Portsmouth; Kiran Patel, Senior Director Commercial and Deputy Head of China with The China-Britain Business Council; and Tony Lee, Chief Visionary Officer at 黑料官网.

The discussion occurs as the UK has solidified its position as the preferred study destination for Chinese students, recently overtaking the US on the strength of its strong higher education brand and the efficiency of its postgraduate models.

However, Chinese families are becoming increasingly results-oriented, prioritising employability and return on investment over rankings alone, while the UK government鈥檚 International Education Strategy has shifted the focus toward “sustainable” growth.

This creates a new landscape where value, student experience, and strict compliance are paramount, and our panel considers what this means for UK recruitment in China going forward.

You can listen right now in the player below, and we encourage you to subscribe via your favourite podcast app in order to receive future episodes automatically.

For additional background, please see:

• “黑料官网 Podcast: Are you using the right digital channels to reach international students?“

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As a result, the government is pursuing international research collaborations, opening branch campuses, and establishing joint programmes with foreign institutions as much as it is trying to attract more students to study in China. A new goal is to see 8 million Chinese students enrolled in transnational education programmes (TNE); the current number is 800,000. No timeline has been specified, but China tends to achieve targets with exceptional speed.

China鈥檚 attraction for international students

The number of Chinese universities placing in ranking systems such as Times Higher Education (THE), QS, and Shanghai (also known as the Academic Ranking of World Universities, or ARWU) continues to rise. In 2025, 108 Chinese institutions made ARWU鈥檚 top 500, just behind the 111 American institutions in that tier. This was a +10% year-over-year rise for China, compared to +2% for the US. Over the past decade, the pattern is even more striking, as shown in the following chart from Higher Education Strategy Associates. In this chart showing the changed position of 9 countries over 10 years, only Australia joined China in improved performance over time, and that was minimal. The US was the country with the greatest contraction in the ARWU rankings from 2015鈥�25.

There is a similar 10-year contrast between the number of Chinese and US institutions placing in the top 500 on : China is way up with fewer US institutions ranked.

Ascent up the rankings is a major draw for international students considering China for study abroad, but there are also other benefits. Among them are ample scholarships offered by the Chinese government (especially at the postgraduate level) as well as relatively low tuition fees and costs of living. At the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit, for example, China announced 60,000 new scholarships for African students.

What鈥檚 more, for students from over 100 Belt and Road (BRI) countries, the presence of Chinese companies in their home region offers opportunities for post-study employment. Over the past decade, Chinese companies have created millions of jobs in Africa, and China is the continent鈥檚 top trading partner.

The extensive range of the Belt and Road initiative 鈥� stretching across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America and the Caribbean 鈥� has also fuelled the diversity of nationalities on Chinese campuses. : 鈥淣o one nationality is over-represented among China鈥檚 international cohorts 鈥� an aim many institutions globally are attempting to replicate.鈥�

QS expects international enrolments in China to increase by +2.5% annually till 2030 to about 550,000 鈥� a lower growth rate than European countries as well as New Zealand, Malaysia, South Korea, and Vietnam, but a greater expansion than in the US, Australia, and Canada. Any growth will be thanks in no small part to China鈥檚 growing supply of English-taught programmes (ETPs). There are now as many ETPs in China as in many leading European destinations (close to 3,000), especially in STEM programmes and at the postgraduate level.

Language and cultural barriers an issue

The diversity of international students in Chinese universities is impressive, but QS notes that there is a downside: 鈥淸It] cushions against single-market volatility but also complicates recruitment strategies and programme design.鈥� With top nationalities including Thailand, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Russia 鈥� and growing numbers of African students 鈥� it is not a simple task to support all students in terms of language and cultural integration.

Integration can also be complicated because international students are often housed in separate, more well-equipped student residences than domestic students 鈥� another point of tension for Chinese families. Vietnamese study abroad consultancy notes:

鈥淩ooms are usually more spacious, fully equipped with private bathrooms/showers, air conditioning, mini-fridges, and even balconies. Compared to dormitories for Chinese students (often 4-6 person rooms, shared bathrooms, no or limited air conditioning), the conditions for international students are clearly prioritised.鈥�

Growing resistance to inbound student mobility

Continuing a pattern that can be observed in other major study destinations, there is mounting frustration among some segments of the Chinese public about growing numbers of foreign students in in the country, especially against a backdrop of persistently high youth unemployment rates.

That frustration is in large part driven by intense competition for well-paid jobs in the country. In published by the University of Oxford, authors Wen Wen and Die Hu pointed out that:

鈥淐hina is a non-immigrant nation with a surplus of domestic college graduates 鈥� its ability to absorb foreign graduates into the labour force is low and the legal limitations for foreign students to stay are valid.鈥�

Since that paper鈥檚 publication, China launched the K Visa in 2025 in a bid to attract more STEM researchers to the country. Those eligible for the K Visa do not need a job offer from a Chinese employer, and the visa offers considerably more flexibility regarding entry frequency, validity period, and duration of stay than other Chinese visas.

The K Visa was launched the same year that China鈥檚 graduating class numbered 12.2 million, up more than +4% over 2024 and the largest increase ever. When the new visa was announced, voicing upset, some of them xenophobic. Canada’s newspaper interviewed Zheng Yifan, a 33-year-old tech worker from Chengdu, who said:

鈥淚 feel this visa doesn鈥檛 sound wise, and many in my industry share similar views. This whole thing leaves a bitter taste in the mouths of people like me who have climbed the ladder through sheer effort. China doesn鈥檛 lack talented people 鈥� we just lack job opportunities and resources.鈥�

Similarly, Jakky Yang, a 27-year-old investment adviser in Shenzhen, said: 鈥淭he fundamental reason many people like me oppose this visa is because our own domestic needs still need to be addressed. Many people in China are caught in a cutthroat competition, struggling to survive, while foreigners can easily access the benefits we have to fight so hard for.鈥�

鈥淧retending to work鈥�

If anything suggests just how dire many Chinese youth feel about their job prospects, it is the 鈥減retending to work鈥� phenomenon, which dovetails with the 鈥渓ying flat鈥� trend. Essentially:

• 鈥淟ying flat鈥� describes Chinese youth who have simply stopped looking for jobs due to dismay over limited opportunities, choosing instead to stay at home, adopt a minimalist lifestyle, and sometimes be paid to take care of ageing parents or household chores.

• 鈥淧retending to work鈥� is a nationwide trend in which jobless young people pay a company for office space. One example is the aptly branded Pretend To Work Company in Dongguan, which asks for US$5 a day in return for access to an equipped office where clients socialise and/or conduct job searches. In 2025, the interviewed Pretend To Work Company clients, who reported feeling less alone and less pressured by anxious parents in their rented office space.

Both 鈥渓ying flat鈥� and 鈥減retending to work鈥� are stark illustrations of the tension between the needs of the Chinese economy and the needs of Chinese students and workers facing barriers to landing good jobs in that economy.

Students returning in greater numbers

The situation becomes even more complicated because of the huge numbers of foreign-educated Chinese students returning home. About 495,000 students returned after studying abroad in 2024, nearly 20% more than in 2025, according to the Chinese Ministry of Education. The influx is partly fuelled by unfavourable visa and political climates in some host countries. The numbers have become so large that the government has set up an online job search and start-up assistance platform just for returnees. It has done so in partnership with 50 organisations to add a talent-matching component to the service 鈥� particularly in the fields of AI and advanced materials.

As with international students, there is some resentment around the influx, as domestic students and workers worry returnees will take all the most desirable jobs. The reality is more complicated.

Ba Ran, a vice president at the online recruiting firm Liepin Group, told China鈥檚 that the swell of returnees has reduced the scarcity premium of a foreign degree. He noted: 鈥淭he rise of Chinese tech giants has created a demand for locally trained talent with a strong grasp of the domestic market, an area where freshly returned graduates can be at a disadvantage.鈥� Over the past seven years, recruitment platform Zhaopin has seen a drop in Chinese job listings asking for overseas-educated talent.

While returnees with highly specialised STEM skills continue to fare well in the labour market, those with less remarkable credentials are commanding lower salaries in the past. Ba Ran says that HR departments 鈥渁re no longer dazzled by an overseas degree 鈥� now they are more focused on concrete skills and a willingness to work diligently.鈥�

Beyond inbound

Clearly, and as in so many other countries, there are limits to how many international students and researchers China can host without jeopardising social harmony. Jobs are a hot-button issue, and many a country can trace civic unrest or even revolution to perceived injustice around who can and cannot access good job opportunities.

The Chinese government seems to have foreseen this breaking point by investing heavily in transnational education (TNE). There are now more than 1,000 Chinese-foreign joint ventures or international branch campuses (IBCs) in various regions, including China. In fact, China鈥檚 鈥渆ducation blueprint鈥� explicitly states a goal of attracting foreign science and engineering universities to set up shop in China. Hongqing Yang, chief executive of the Educationist Group, a Hong-Kong based consultancy, told Times Higher Education: 鈥淐hina seeks to cultivate talent domestically by opening up to foreign universities, especially as it faces challenges in sending its students abroad for education, particularly STEM education.鈥�

Evolving approach

In the first 20 years of this century, the Chinese government invested heavily in the capacity and quality of China鈥檚 higher education system even as millions of Chinese students continued to go abroad. Three factors are fuelling a further evolution of China’s approach going forward:

1. China鈥檚 emerging superpower status, massive investments in research, and well-cultivated alliances and agreements with countries all over the world now allow its universities to partner equally with top foreign universities, which is a new source of innovation.
   
   
2. More restrictive visa regimes in the Big Four study destinations, tensions with the US, and a lower premium for foreign-earned degrees are prompting Chinese families to question the return on investment of study abroad.
   
   
3. The public mood suggests that there are limits to the social licence for attracting more international students to China (a development we have seen in Canada, Australia, the UK, and the US to various extents).

The UK has always been the leader in transnational education provision. In 2026, it faces far more competition in this area. Institutions in other destinations are rushing to set up branch campuses and joint programmes 鈥� often in response to government policies limiting their recruitment of students to home campuses. China is at the forefront of this race. The Chinese Ministry of Education approved a record 285 new joint education institutes and programmes at the degree level in 2025. There are now 1,589 active TNE partnerships involving China and another country.

As QS noted in its Global Flows report, China is steadily 鈥減ositioning its universities as more credible partners in shaping the future of global education.鈥�

For more information, please see:

• 鈥�China: Two-thirds of new TNE partnerships are with countries outside the Big Four鈥�
• 鈥�China opens up to global STEM talent with new visa class鈥�
• 鈥�Market snapshot: International student recruitment in China today鈥�
• 鈥�Youth unemployment reaches record high in China鈥�

The post Inbound, outbound, and transnational: the landscape for international education in China continues to evolve appeared first on 黑料官网 Monitor - Market intelligence for international student recruitment.

Beyond volume, what is notable here is that the partnerships are with institutions from a wide array of countries. For years, the UK has been the world leader in TNE provision, but last year, it accounted for only 15% of the new partnerships approved by China鈥檚 Ministry of education. reports:

鈥淭wo-thirds (66%) of newly-approved partnerships were formed with institutions outside the 鈥楤ig 4鈥� English-speaking countries that have historically been the main destinations for Chinese students studying abroad, with Russia making up the largest single group of approvals. This continues a trend towards a more diverse selection of partner countries.鈥�

As well as Russia, active partnerships now include institutions in Italy, Germany, France, Malaysia, New Zealand, Brazil, and more.

The record number of TNE approvals in 2025 followed two years of relatively low approval rates, and the expansion is likely due to low capacity in China鈥檚 top universities and to concern over a persistently high youth unemployment rate.

The diversity of partner nations dovetails with China鈥檚 strategy of building trade and other relationships in regions all over the world. Earlier this month, we looked at trends in international research collaborations, and as with TNE, China stands out in its interest in cooperating with a wide range of countries.

In both research and TNE, the shape of China鈥檚 international partnerships conforms to its economic needs. Priority areas include AI, robotics, computing, oil and gas, and medicine, but the overall range of partnerships is well rounded and driven by the Chinese government鈥檚 identification of niche strengths.

Writing in , Futao Huang, a professor at the Research Institute for Higher Education at Hiroshima University in Japan, wrote that the evolution of Chinese TNE mirrors the growing power of China:

鈥淐hina has become more assertive in linking international cooperation to its strategic industries, such as artificial intelligence, green technologies and health sciences. Joint education is increasingly valued not just as a tool for internationalisation, but as a mechanism for strategic capacity building 鈥or foreign universities, the message is more complex. On the one hand, China remains open to collaboration and continues to approve new partnerships even in a tense global environment. On the other hand, the terms of engagement have changed. Foreign partners are expected to align their offerings with China鈥檚 strategic priorities, and partnerships are scrutinised more closely for quality and outcomes.鈥�

China’s Ministry of Education has a target to expand enrolment in transnational education programmes (TNE) from an estimated 800,000 students currently to 8 million.

For additional background, please see:

• 鈥�China leverages higher education capacity with expanded TNE partnerships鈥�

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The twenty years between 1990 and 2010 saw a rapid expansion of student mobility. The number of students pursuing higher education credentials abroad increased by 5.4鈥�5.9% per year, on average 鈥� a much higher rate of growth than in the previous two decades. The reason, in a word, was China.

China was the main contributor to student mobility growth from 1970 until about 2015 on the back of its roaring economy, burgeoning middle class, and massive gaps between student demand for higher education and capacity at reputable Chinese universities. These factors propelled large numbers of Chinese students abroad for many years. Most of them were self-funded, and many of them were just as likely to return home after their studies as they were to stay on in their host destination to work.

Chinese students shaped educators鈥� understanding of international students in general. Their priorities were assumed to be foreign students鈥� priorities鈥ntil fairly recently.

Evolving needs

Now, students鈥� top-of-mind concerns centre on the costs of study abroad. This manifests in several ways, including interest in work opportunities during and after study abroad, greater price sensitivity in the marketplace, and the growing popularity of affordable study destinations.

Chinese students are no exception. China鈥檚 economy has cooled in recent years and its youth face historically high unemployment rates. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese families became more hesitant about study abroad, more worried about safety, and less convinced that investing in a foreign degree will provide the same benefits as it used to.

New expectations

The composition of foreign enrolment in many destinations has changed substantially over the past 10 years. There is a far greater diversity of students coming from all over the world and much greater outbound flows from South Asia and Africa.

Tens of thousands of students are now from lower-middle-income countries in which the Gross National Income (GNI) per capita is between US$1,136 and $4,495. These dynamic sending markets include Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Nepal, Vietnam, and at least a dozen others. In Nepal, fully one in five students now chooses to leave their country for tertiary education.

Considering the low GNI in those countries, there is an associated need among many students to work during and after studies; to carefully examine the costs of study and living in various study destinations; and to choose programmes most strongly linked to positive career outcomes.

Inside the numbers

In 2010, there were just over four million students abroad in higher education. Roughly 1.3 million 鈥� almost 31% of the total 鈥� were from China, and in that year alone, the number of Chinese outbound students surged by 24%.

That same year, there were just over 330,000 students from South Asia studying abroad, with most coming from India. The number of African students was about the same.

By 2019, the global total of international students rose to six million. Nearly three in ten (28%) were from China, but roughly as many were from key markets in South Asia 鈥� including over a million from India. Meanwhile, the number of African students abroad reached nearly half a million.

By 2024, student mobility had rebounded from the pandemic, and almost seven million students were abroad. However, a much greater range of countries contributed to that outbound trend than in 2010 and 2019. The number of Chinese students dipped to just over one million (or about 14% of the total) while the number of Indian students climbed to an estimated 1.3 million, representing nearly 19% of the total in 2024. Other South Asian markets 鈥� notably Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka 鈥� also registered very strong growth.

Buffeted by economic headwinds at home, the number of African students did not grow significantly in the five years between 2019 and 2024. However, given its massive college-aged population, Africa is expected to figure much more prominently in global mobility trends going forward. To highlight just one indicator of that potential, the United Nations has projected that by 2030, one of every four people on the planet aged 15-24 will live in Africa.

Implications

We have entered an era in which global student flows are heavily shaped by students from South Asia, Africa, and Southeast Asia.

This accelerating trend means that the historical understanding of international students 鈥� largely informed by the Chinese students who once greatly outnumbered students from other countries 鈥� is outdated. The reality is that the world鈥檚 mobile students are more heterogeneous than ever 鈥� from varied backgrounds and with unique as
well as common needs.

It is time to double down on brainstorming about how to enhance the study abroad experience for a more diverse range of students. This means creating more detailed student personas; conducting more market intelligence research; reaching out to current international students for insights; examining the range of student services on offer; prioritising integration services; tailoring the website to address concerns and aspirations in top target markets; providing better guidance on immigration rules and visas; and more. It also involves recognising that work rights, career services, and career outcomes have joined quality of education as dominant drivers of student decision-making.

The international students of today 鈥� and of the future 鈥� will be shopping the market for value and measurable outcomes more carefully than ever before. The most competitive institutions will deliver that ROI in every facet of their offer to students.

For additional background, please see:

• “What students want: The top decision factors for study abroad“
• “The four key trends that will shape international student mobility for the next decade“

The post The changing face of international student mobility appeared first on 黑料官网 Monitor - Market intelligence for international student recruitment.

Meanwhile, a record 13.42 million students sat the national college entrance exam this year (the gaokao). The Ministry of Education does not release official figures on the number of first-year seats available but the most optimistic estimates place that capacity at least several million seats below the population of high school leavers in 2025. In other words, when the admissions music stops, there will millions of students without a chair in an undergraduate programme.

The Chinese government has launched a number of initiatives to expand the system further, and to improve graduate outcomes in the face of historically high levels of youth unemployment.

As recently reported, “Since 2024, China has been undertaking one of the most significant expansions in recent history of its undergraduate education system. Leading universities are increasing student enrolment and launching new interdisciplinary programmes to align with national strategic priorities鈥he nationwide expansion of undergraduate enrolment aligns closely with China鈥檚 broader policy objectives as outlined in the Education Powerhouse Construction Plan (2024鈥�2035), jointly issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council.”

At the same time, the Chinese government is quickly ramping up job readiness training and other supports for new graduates, and expanding subsidies for employers to hire graduates as well.

8 million in TNE

In addition to that domestic expansion, China’s Ministry of Education has also set a target to expand enrolment in transnational education programmes (TNE) from an estimated 800,000 students currently to 8 million. There is no publicly stated time horizon for that goal, but qualified observers have noted that an expansion of that scale is a long-term proposition and likely something with at least a 10-year horizon.

TNE may take many forms but the term refers broadly to an educational programme delivered in a country other than the country in which the institution awarding the qualification is based. In China, it is carefully regulated under the Ministry of Education and framed as “Chinese-Foreign Cooperation” in education, reflecting that such programmes are built around genuine and equitable collaborations between Chinese and foreign partners.

A further report from expands on the point: “The Chinese Ministry of Education stipulates clear processes and procedures for the TNE application process as well as delivery. It typically takes a project one or two years just to get the ministry application completed and approved.

But it is worth the investment and commitment because approval means practically guaranteed student recruitment in terms of numbers and quality鈥t also means TNE programmes will be part of the national gaokao quota system. Currently, most of the top universities in China have an enrolment rate of less than 1% of their application pool.”

As that summary outlines, there is a well-established, centrally controlled mechanism for approving and monitoring TNE programmes in China through the Ministry of Education. And in practice the Ministry approves (or cancels) TNE partnerships in the country on an ongoing basis.

But after a few quiet years in terms of new approvals, it is notable to see China moving forward with a much larger number of new TNE partnerships this year. In May 2025, in what was the first major round of project approvals since 2022, the Ministry announced 113 new TNE partnerships, roughly two-thirds of which were individually approved joint programmes and the remaining third taking the form of joint institutes offering programmes in multiple subjects and/or at various levels of study.

Writing on at the time, Charles Sun, Founder and Managing Director of China Education International, said, “These approvals signal more than academic growth鈥攖hey represent a strategic alignment with China鈥檚 national priorities. Programmes in AI, green technology, and smart manufacturing mirror the country鈥檚 ambition to lead in Fourth Industrial Revolution sectors. Additionally, partnerships like Hainan University and New Zealand鈥檚 Massey University in Animal Science emphasize region-specific expertise, catering to Hainan鈥檚 evolving role as a free trade port and ecological hub鈥or students, these programmes offer dual degrees, English-taught curricula, and industry-aligned training, equipping graduates with the cross-cultural fluency and technical skills demanded by multinational employers.”

More recently, the Ministry of Education approved another 46 TNE partnerships in September 2025, this time with 16 joint institutes (offering multiple programmes) and another 30 joint programmes. They include a new Smart Health College in Jiangsu to be established by Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine and the University of Otago (New Zealand), and a new Master’s in Electronic Information offered by Zhongyuan University of Technology in Henan and the University of Sao Paulo (Brazil).

As those examples suggest, the other notable pattern in this year’s approvals is that the Ministry is reaching beyond the major English-speaking countries 鈥� such as the UK or the US 鈥� to engage institutions in a much wider field of partner nations, including Italy, Malaysia, New Zealand, France, Germany, and South Korea.

Similarly, this year’s TNE approvals are distributed across dozens of Chinese provinces in an apparent bid to boost internationalisation more widely throughout the country.

For additional background, please see:

• “China opens up to global STEM talent with new visa class“
• “What impact will a slowing economy have on Chinese demand for study abroad?“
• “Global survey highlights new phase of internationalisation: From a ‘market era’ to a ‘managed era’“

The post China leverages higher education capacity with expanded TNE partnerships appeared first on 黑料官网 Monitor - Market intelligence for international student recruitment.

So it was all the more striking to see Prime Minister Modi literally hand-in-hand with Chinese President Xi Jinping last week for their first meeting on Chinese soil in seven years. The visit marked a distinct thawing of China-India relations on the occasion of the annual summit of the (SCO). The two were joined by leaders of the eight other SCO member-states: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Iran, and Belarus. And the summit was widely seen as a demonstration of the closer ties among the members at a time when the global economy has been badly disrupted by US trade policies and tariffs.

The SCO’s membership accounts for nearly a quarter of the world’s geography, and 42% of the global population. It is a striking demonstration of how global power continues to shift this decade, and of China’s rising influence in particular. Where the US has come to represent uncertainty and disruption in global trade, China has been quick to position itself as a reliable, stable partner. As reports, “In a thinly-veiled swipe at the US President Donald Trump鈥檚 global tariff campaign, Chinese President Xi Jinping told his counterparts in his opening speech Monday that the ‘shadows of Cold War mentality and bullying have not dissipated, with new challenges mounting.’鈥he world has entered ‘a new phase of turbulence’ with global governance at a ‘new crossroads,’ Xi said, calling for joint efforts to build a ‘more just and balanced international governance framework.’

Introducing the K visa

Against that broader context of realigning global flows of capital and brainpower, China has taken what appears to be an important step in its bid to attract global STEM talent, and to further reinforce its position as a global technology leader. On 7 August 2025, The State Council of the People’s Republic of China amended the “” to add a new visa category.

The changes amount to two small revisions: (i) the creation of a new K visa, to be issued to foreign young science and technology talent and (ii) a specification that 鈥渁pplicants for a K visa must meet the conditions and requirements for foreign young science and technology talent stipulated by the relevant Chinese authorities and submit corresponding supporting documents.鈥� The new visa policy comes into effect on 1 October 2025.

In order to be eligible for a K visa, applicants must hold a STEM degree (in science, technology, engineering, mathematics) at a bachelor’s level or higher, or be engaged in relevant studies or research at a recognised institution.

What makes the K visa so interesting otherwise is that, compared to other existing visa classes, it offers more flexibility (with no requirement for a Chinese employer or other sponsoring/inviting organisation for application) and more convenience with flexible terms around entry frequency, validity period, and duration of stay. K visa holders will also be allowed to participate in a relatively wide range of activities while in China, including study, research, cultural exchange, entrepreneurship, and work.

“China’s development requires the participation of talent from around the world, and China’s development also provides opportunities for them,” said a statement from China鈥檚 State Council.

And there are some early signs that young STEM talent from around the world is paying attention to those opportunities.

The AI proxy

A lot of the global investment in technology 鈥� and the competition for talent and investment 鈥� currently revolves around Artificial Intelligence. And recent data observations from Studyportals finds that international student interest in Artificial Intelligence degrees in the US fell by -25% year-over-year, whereas interest in AI studies in China increased by 88%. Those indicators of relative demand are based on student searches on Studyportals websites from January to July 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. And, given the prominence of AI in the broader technology landscape, we can imagine the patterns around demand for AI degrees to be something of a proxy for where STEM talent is going generally.

We see those contrasting trends reflected in the chart below, which measures market share of the global demand for AI studies for both the US and China, and where “market share” refers to the percentage of all student interest in AI degrees globally that is captured by the US and China. “The US鈥� share of global demand for AI degrees is shrinking,” says Studyportals, “while China鈥檚 share of the total is growing.” Astute observers will note that the trend described in the chart pre-dates the announcement of the K visa in August 2025.

The linkage here between STEM talent and AI advancements is not subtle. International graduates have historically played a significant role in technology leadership in the US, for example. Four in ten US AI startups have at least one founder who came to the US as an international student, and roughly half of foreign STEM graduates in the US remain in the country to work after their studies. Those percentages would suggest that a shift in student interest from US to China could have a significant impact beyond enrolment statistics: it could also materially impact technology entrepreneurship, innovation, and competitiveness in the US economy.

Studyportals CEO Edwin van Rest echoes the point in saying, 鈥淣ations that succeed in drawing the brightest minds and in creating an environment for innovative business to thrive, will not just advance their economies, they will command the future of technology, security, and influence. International students do not only bring revenue to local economies and soft power, they also fuel innovation, startups, and job creation.鈥�

For additional background, please see:

• “Asian destinations show their strength in latest ranking of student cities“
• “Global survey underscores demand shift from ‘Big Four’ to ‘Big Ten’“
• “US: International commencements could drop by 30-40% this September“

The post China opens up to global STEM talent with new visa class appeared first on 黑料官网 Monitor - Market intelligence for international student recruitment.

South Korea’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Ju-Ho Lee said: “We are proud that Seoul has been recognised as the best student city in the world. This achievement reflects the global confidence in Korea’s higher education system and highlights Seoul’s ability to blend academic excellence with vibrant culture, cutting-edge innovation, and a safe, welcoming environment.”

The QS ranking evaluates 150 cities across 58 countries and territories. The US and UK are the most represented, with 16 cities each, and, historically, cities in those two leading study destinations, along with those in Europe, have dominated the table.

Not so in 2026, however. Joining top-ranked Seoul are Tokyo (#2), Singapore (#11), Kuala Lumpur (#12), Beijing (#13), Taipei (#14), and Hong Kong (#17). Beijing and Taipei were the biggest movers at the top of the table, gaining 18 and 12 spots respectively since the 2025 ranking and entering the top 20 for the first time.

“There has been significant movement among the top 20 cities,” says QS. “Now, 10 of the top 20 cities are in Asia Pacific, highlighting the region鈥檚 increased influence on global higher education.” As we see in the following chart, that total includes long-standing, high-profile destinations in the region, such as Melbourne and Sydney, but we also see rapid gains for other major centres, notably Taipei and Beijing. That movement up the ranking table reflects the strength of the higher education institutions in each city, but also that a number of these destinations are also scoring higher in the QS ranking for factors such as “student mix” (which reflects the proportion of the student population in each city compared to total population) and affordability.

On the important question of cost, QS adds that, “While the top cities excel in many of our indicators, affordability is a persistent challenge. Low affordability may lead to international students looking outside the big four destinations or staying in their home country. London鈥檚 declining affordability was a significant driver in it losing its top spot.” A related comment from echoes the point, noting that, “The cost of living in London remains a growing concern for prospective students. While the city continues to offer a wealth of academic and professional opportunities, rising rent, transport, and living costs have lessened its appeal relative to more affordable alternatives.”

The 2026 city rankings also reflect the growing strength 鈥� and ambition 鈥� of study destinations across Asia. Japan, for example hosted more than 336,000 students in 2024, growing 21% from the year before. South Korea’s foreign student population reached 208,000 in 2023 (24% growth year-over-year) against a national goal to attract 300,000 students by 2027. Taiwan welcomed 125,000 visiting students in 2024 but wants to reach 320,000 by 2030, and Malaysia aims to host 250,000 students as of this year.

For additional background, please see:

• “South Korea on track to attract thousands more international students within the decade“
• “Beyond the Big Four: How demand for study abroad is shifting to destinations in Asia and Europe“
• “Global survey underscores demand shift from ‘Big Four’ to ‘Big Ten’“

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According to a 4 June 2025 report, international students contribute over US$40 billion to the US economy. The article mentioned rumours of potential curbs to Optional Practical Training (OPT), a key pathway for foreign graduates to gain work experience.

In the UK, the Government has announced its intention to reduce post-study work term of the Graduate Route from two years to 18 months. As our latest research shows, these adjustments threaten to undermine the very model that sustains this student flow. What was once a soft benefit is now a critical pillar of financial viability.

An Indian student returning home immediately after a US undergraduate degree at a private university could work more than 30 years to recover the cost. Stay and work for two years post-graduation, and that figure drops by 11 years, or as little as three in Canada and Australia. For Chinese graduates, a stint of post-study work can cut almost six years from the payback period. (These figures are based on average graduate salaries in the relevant countries and allow for taxation at prevailing rates.)

Across scenarios, students who can work after studying earn back their investment much faster than those who cannot. The economic impact is undeniable鈥攁nd increasingly, unavoidable.

China

As we see in the first chart above, students returning to China immediately on graduation would need to work for almost 14 years to earn the equivalent cost of a three-year undergraduate Russell Group education (including living expenses), and for four years less, if they took advantage of a two-year post-study work opportunity. Masters students who return home immediately can earn the total cost of a one-year Masters in around 4.6 years but can reduce that recovery time by half if they do some post-study work in the UK.

The same undergraduate student who works in a graduate level job in the UK and then returns home can cut almost five years off the repayment term, earning the equivalent back in just under four years.

India

The charts again reflect that students returning to India immediately on graduation would need to work for 14 years to earn the equivalent cost of a three-year undergraduate Russell Group education (including living expenses), and for two years less, if they studied at a non-Russell Group university. Masters students who return home immediately can earn the total cost of a one-year Masters in just under five years.

The same undergraduate student who works in a graduate level job in the UK and then returns home can cut more than eight years off the repayment term, earning the equivalent back in just under five and a half years.

But universities cannot rely on immigration policy alone to make education affordable. Reducing fees may not be fiscally viable. Instead, institutions must rethink delivery. Offshore degrees, hybrid models, and transnational partnerships offer students the chance to begin their studies at home 鈥� at lower cost 鈥� and finish overseas, gaining the international exposure and credentials employers value most.

These shifts are happening at pace. An opinion piece in by Dr Cheryl You points out that, 鈥淢ore students are opting for in-country pathways, such as foundation programmes or 2+2 joint degree arrangements between Chinese and Western universities, as more practical and supportive alternatives. In addition, they are increasingly looking beyond traditional overseas study destinations to closer-to-home alternatives, such as , Macao or elsewhere in Asia.鈥�

And, as for post-study work, it is a critical part of the offer for students. It is not a pathway to permanent migration nor a drain on public resources. Students on post-study work in the UK pay an additional surcharge to use [National Health Service] services, for example. A period of post-study work makes a world class education more affordable for students and provides the receiving country with a valuable talent pipeline 鈥� especially in areas where there are major labour shortages 鈥� such as in technology and other skilled fields which are such important drivers of economic growth.

For universities and policymakers alike, the message is clear: that return on investment for the visiting student is no longer optional. Rather, it is increasingly the global currency of trust in higher education. Global student mobility works best when the math does too.

A note on methodology: We used an average of tuition fees and living expenses for each of the destination countries.vOur team then calculated graduate starting salaries 鈥� net of income tax for each of the three post-graduation options.

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