Ties That Bind - Bay Area Council Economic Institute

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Ties That Bind
toms and cultures of China and the U.S., enjoys a strong advantage in building on the comparative
advantages both sides of the Pacific have to offer.
Post-1949 mainland China sent no students to the U.S. prior to 1979. By 1988 it was the leading
country of origin for foreign students, and has held the number one or two position since then.
The number of visiting Chinese students in the U.S. increased from 39,000 in 1994 to 62,500 in
2004–05, according to the Institute of International Education (IIE).
Large numbers of students from Taiwan enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities during the
1970s and 1980s, many receiving Taiwan government support in an effort to transfer technological
know-how and strategically compete with the mainland. At the peak of this trend in 1987,
some 38,000 Taiwanese students entered the U.S. The numbers have since declined to just under
26,000 in 2004–05. Enrollment by Hong Kong students peaked in 1993 with more than 14,000
students—as families weighed investment and citizenship options in the run-up to Hong Kong’s
1997 transition from British to Chinese rule. By 2004, that number had fallen by roughly half,
to 7,300.
IIE reports that California hosted some 75,000 international students from all countries in AY
2004–05, the most recent year for which figures are available. About 13,600 students, or 18%,
came from Greater China. The numbers of Chinese students enrolling in U.S. colleges and universities
has, however, declined since 2002, due to:
� Real and perceived post-9/11 visa difficulties.
� Bursting of the tech bubble in 2000–01, which reduced investment and
job opportunities.
� Curtailed foreign travel due to SARS, avian flu and 9/11 safety concerns.
� Improved quality of education, education incentives and job prospects in
home countries.
� Competing university recruitment from the U.K., Canada and Australia.
It should be noted, comparatively, that nearly 19,000 California college and university students
enrolled in study abroad programs during AY 2004/05, with 3,100 studying in greater China—a
relatively small number but an increase over previous years.
A survey of major Northern California academic institutions done for this report (the University
of California and California State University systems, Stanford University, University of San
Francisco, Santa Clara University and Golden Gate University) shows more than 5,500 graduate
and undergraduate students from mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong enrolled at Bay Area
colleges and universities during AY 2004–05. Leading schools include UC Davis (1,318), San
Francisco State University (1,288), San Jose State University (1,088) Stanford (737), UC Berkeley
(608), and University of San Francisco (128). Leading fields of study include business and management;
engineering; mathematics and computer science; economics; and physical and life sciences.
(Note: UC figures are from the UC Office of the President, which counts foreign students differently than
some individual campuses, by including continuing students with permanent resident status.)