Chinese students react to recent gun violence
USC was home to 15,729 international students in the 2021-22 academic year, making it the fourth largest such population in the United States. That number may change as some international students express concerns over frequent gun violence incidents in the country.
Grace Huang, a research fellow and adjunct instructor at the Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy and a USC alum, said her experience as a part-time consultant at Next Level — a China-based firm that helps students pursue higher education overseas — made her notice a trend of Chinese students choosing programs in other countries over the U.S.
“The data from that company showed that during the past three years, there has been a decline in the number of [clients] studying abroad in the U.S.,” Huang said. “There was obviously a tendency for people rather willing to choose to study in the U.K. and instead of in the U.S.”
The company’s data is a snapshot of the situation in the past few years — the number of international students from China plummeted by 14.8% in 2021, followed by an 8.6% drop in 2022.
Despite the declining number of students, China remains the largest source of international students in the U.S., accounting for 30.6% in 2022. The second largest source is India, which contributes 21% of the international student body. Nationally, USC is no exception; The biggest enrollment place of origin after the U.S. is China with 6,166 students, followed by India with 1,691 students, according to the USC Office of International Services’ Fall 2021 fact sheet.
One of the reasons international students are losing interest in pursuing an education in the U.S. is the frequent gun violence, Huang said. In January 2023, at least 69 people were killed in mass shootings across the country. The closest one to USC happened at Monterey Park.
On the eve of Lunar New Year, a shooter with a modified Cobray pistol opened fire inside a ballroom dance studio at Monterey Park, resulting in the death of 11 people. USC is about 20 minutes away from the crime scene, a fact that worries many international students and their families, Huang said.
Wanyi Chen, a freshman majoring in narrative studies, said she was celebrating Lunar New Year with her friends when the incident happened. Although she said she was not scared, the safety issues are raising concerns for her.
“Me and some friends were gathering together, playing games when we heard about the incident,” Chen said. “One of my friends was [at Monterey Park] a few hours prior to the incident, so we felt deeply sorry and upset about this incident.”
Huang said that she had to cancel a celebration plan due to the mass shooting and felt that U.S. colleges are slow to react when dealing with gun violence issues.
“American universities are assuming that there will be shootings some days,” Huang said. “[Universites] are not doing enough to change what has been concerning for a lot of international students.”
Jeff Liu, a sophomore majoring in economics and mathematics, agreed that there is a tendency for some international students not to choose the U.S. as their first choice for education. However, he said the decision to study abroad depends on how students and their family value the U.S. education system.
“Some high-achieving Chinese students who are targeting top 15 schools in the U.S. are not changing their goals, and the cost of changing will be too large,” Liu said. “[The U.S.] is one of the top choices [for international students] and it’s never gonna change.”
Chen said another factor that might deter students from coming to the U.S. for higher education is the development in education systems in students’ native countries.
“The education system in China has been well developed in recent years,” Chen said. “Less and less people choose to come to the U.S. because it’s not like what it was in the past.”