The “moderately phrased” warning urges students to “conduct safety risks assessments and enhance their awareness” of prohibitive legislation in relevant states, citing the recent passage of Ohio’s higher education bill, which imposes restrictions on Chinese partnerships.
Despite reflecting “growing sensitivities around US-China academic cooperation”, the warning “was not directly related to Chinese students studying abroad”, said Mingze Sang, director of China’s Education Agency Association, BOSSA.
Issued on April 9, the advice was announced on the same day as a new alert from China’s tourism ministry encouraging Chinese travellers to “fully assess the risks of traveling to the US” amid the “deterioration of Sino-US economic and trade relations and the domestic security situation in the United States”.
Given the Trump administration’s revocation of nearly 1,000 international student visas since coming to office, experts have said the study abroad warning marks a relatively “measured” and “reasonable” response from Beijing.
“The moderately-phrased advisories are more an expression of dissatisfaction with US policy than an effort to block travel,” said David Weeks, CEO of Sunrise International marketing and research firm.
“This [study abroad] warning signals displeasure with Ohio’s actions, but it’s quite measured: it does not call for students to avoid Ohio, nor does it warn Chinese universities to avoid the state,” added Weeks
Both this alert and the ongoing trade tensions, including tariffs and broader geopolitical uncertainties, are already influencing student mobility trends
Mingze Sang, BOSSA
Signed into law on March 28, Ohio’s higher education reform bill orders the elimination of DEI initiatives and faculty strikes at public institutions, and has been met with large-scale protests from students, staff and democratic lawmakers.
While the legislation prohibits Ohio’s public colleges from accepting Chinese donations and requires heightened security vetting of new Chinese partnerships, it doesn’t go as far as states like Texas or Florida in banning Chinese collaborations.
Furthermore, most Chinese families already assess the crime rates and campus safety statistics of different states and cities, said Weeks, with experts agreeing that the practical impact on students is likely to be limited.
And yet, “both this alert and the ongoing trade tensions, including tariffs and broader geopolitical uncertainties, are already influencing student mobility trends,” warned Sang, with Chinese education agencies noting an uptick of applications to the UK and Australia rather than the US.
In a recent white paper about the internationalisation of Chinese higher education in 2025, the UK was identified as the most attractive study destination as Chinese outbound mobility continues to grow and diversify.
Given current geopolitical volatility, the situation must be “continuously monitored,” said BONARD China branch manager Grace Zhu, advising that students apply to institutions in multiple countries and regions to diversify their options.
For now, it is yet to be seen how the unfolding trade war will impact people-to-people exchange between the US and China, with policy uncertainty meaning that “state media haven’t yet coalesced around an anti-American stance… and thus impact on public opinion is still in flux,” said Weeks.
Furthermore, if tariffs create a low-growth economic environment in China, it is likely that Chinese families will continue to be sensitive to return on investment and career outcomes, applying to more universities across multiple destinations.
However, Weeks maintained that the Chinese economy will eventually bounce back: “When it does, Chinese families will likely upgrade their consumption, seeking prestige over budget destinations,” he predicted.
Meanwhile, despite student visa revocations sparking global outrage and postgraduate interest in the US plummeting by 40%, F-1 visa issuance to Chinese students currently remains somewhat stable.
While other large markets such as India and Nigeria are trending downwards, F-1 visa issuance to Chinese students dropped by just over 5% over the past year, with 1,117 visas issued to Chinese students in February 2025, according to the state department.
