The 2025 Report on Chinese Students’ Overseas Study released recently. The UK overtakes the US as the most popular destination for the first time since 2020.
Apply for Interdisciplinary Studies
The US and the UK remain the top choices for Chinese students seeking to study abroad. Thanks to its shorter academic programs and relatively stable political environment, UK ranks No.1 in 2025.
Following them, the most favored destinations for prospective overseas students in 2025 are Hong Kong, Australia, Japan and Singapore. Meanwhile, Ireland has gained significant attention, rising to the seventh spot this year.
The report is based on a survey conducted among 8,014 respondents, including students who had studied overseas or intended to do so and their parents in China and worldwide, as well as professionals from various employers.
Reflecting China’s increasing demand for innovative and interdisciplinary talents, a majority of those intending to study overseas are considering or have already applied for interdisciplinary studies. They cite good employment prospects, personal interest and alignment with previous educational background as main reasons.
If There is A Plan B
Recent US visa policies, including President Donald Trump’s previous calls to pause visa interviews and scrutinize social media accounts, is influencing the current climate.
Chris Yang, a senior English major at Beijing Foreign Studies University, received an offer from the University of Pennsylvania for a dual degree in social policy and public administration. However, instead of the anticipated F-1 visa, he received a green slip at the United States embassy in Beijing, initiating a waiting period of “about two weeks” for a decision that could affirm or upend his plan to the US in August.
“My majors are not generally considered sensitive. In the past, visas for these fields were almost always approved without issue, while engineering students or PhD candidates were more likely to face visa hurdles,” he said.
“I don’t have a plan B, like a gap year or studying in another country. All my master’s applications were to US universities,” Yang said.
Justin, a Chinese PhD student at an Ivy League university, had always planned to settle in the US but he is abandoning the idea after a crackdown on immigrants and academia and is considering studying elsewhere.
If the government sets such a precedent . . . allowing xenophobic sentiments to go unchecked, there will inevitably come a time when large-scale anti-Chinese incidents occur,” said Justin.
He added he was considering applying to Oxford and Cambridge universities in the UK as a “Plan B”. “The US is no longer an ideal place for scientific research,” he said.
Written by Yetao Gu, additional reporting by China Daily.
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