Why Chinese students are being drawn to America’s faith-based universities – US provost tells all
Thomas Burish is responsible for academic administration at the University of Notre Dame. He discusses the rising tide of Chinese students choosing the US for their university education, why religion can aid learning, and differences in classroom approach across the seas
The number of Chinese undergraduate students studying in the United States increased from about 20,000 in 2008 to almost 140,000 by 2015, according to the US National Bureau of Economic Research.
In the 2015-16 academic year, there were a total of 330,000 Chinese students, from both Hong Kong and the mainland, studying in America, and they accounted for 31.5 per cent of the total 1.04 million international enrolments in the country, according to the New York-based Institute of International Education.
More students from Hong Kong and the mainland are travelling abroad for their university education. The trend is evident at the University of Notre Dame in the US state of Indiana, where Thomas Burish is the provost, responsible for academic administration.
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Founded by a priest of the French missionary order, the Catholic university educates its students on a faith basis. It was ranked 24th in US university rankings released this year by British newspaper The Times, and 150th in their World University Rankings 2018.
In 2012 Notre Dame signed an agreement with the University of Hong Kong for a student exchange programme: each year eight scholarships are awarded for students to study abroad.
The relationship is treasured by Notre Dame, said Burish, who previously studied psychology at the institution before returning there in 2005 to become their fourth provost.
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