New | 8,000 Chinese students in US expelled for low grades, academic dishonesty, breaking rules

As more wealthy and middle-class Chinese families send children abroad for what they believe is a better standard of education, a rising number of Chinese students are facing the threat of expulsion through difficulties in adapting to Western schooling.

About 8,000 Chinese students were expelled from American schools in the past year, according to a Pittsburgh company specialising in overseas education services.

Most were expelled because of a low grade point average (GPA) – as were most local students who were expelled. But academic dishonesty and rule violations among Chinese students also have been on the rise, said Andrew Chen, chief development officer of WholeRen Education, a consultancy for Chinese students in the US.

A survey of more than 1,600 Chinese students in the United States, from high school students to doctoral candidates, showed that low GPAs, academic dishonesty and low attendance were the top three reasons for dismissal, according to a report released recently by the company.

The 2015 “White Paper on Dismissal Issues of Chinese Students in the US” shows that 58 per cent of students surveyed were expelled from school because of low GPAs.

Academic dishonesty accounted for 23 per cent, while low attendance was the reason for nearly 10 per cent.

While dismissals due to low GPAs and low attendance had dropped, academic dishonesty and rule violations each rose by 1 per cent.