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Associated Press

Wealthy Chinese undergraduates aren’t the only ones looking to get a college degree in the US. So are a growing number of Chinese students from lower middle-class families who are enrolling in community colleges.
The number of Chinese students in US community colleges has increased from 2,500 in 2007 to more than 16,200, The Los Angeles Times reported, representing an increase of about 550 per cent
Many are searching for an alternative to China’s high-pressure and overcrowded educational system.
Thousands of Chinese students from affluent families enrol in US colleges each year. But for every Chinese student who shows up with unimaginable wealth, there are several who are struggling financially, said Amy Yan, assistant director of the international student centre at Pasadena City College.
“It is a stereotype that all Chinese students are rich and have [Mercedes] Benzes and Bentleys. It’s just not true,” she said. “It's just that the rich students show off more.”
According to a 2014 report by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp, nearly half of the 20,000 students from China studying in LA County attended community colleges.
In China, intermediary agencies are marketing US community colleges as a stepping stone to a four-year university.
“It used to be that only the top students could come to the US,” Michael Wan, chief executive of the Irvine-based Wenmei Education Consulting Group, told the newspaper. “Now, anybody with money can come.”
Some in academia worry community colleges are not equipped to handle the growing number of international students. University of California regents voted earlier this year to cap the number of out-of-state and international students at UCLA and UC Berkeley.
Meanwhile, supporters note foreign students contribute billions to the US economy and expose students to other cultures and help them build international networks.
Chinese students say they are attracted to the freedom the U.S. educational system offers in comparison to their country’s more rigid approach.
Lantian Xiang, the only child of two white-collar workers from Hunan Province, said he found the pressure of taking the Chinese college entrance exam stifling. He ended up attending Pasadena City College and is now a third-year financial actuarial mathematics major at UCLA.
“I wanted to have an experience in a foreign country,” said Xiang, 22. “And I wanted to figure out what my heart wanted.”


Not all Ivy League: Chinese student numbers in US community colleges soar by 550 per cent

Chinese student Leyna Liu from Shanghai poses with a fake million dollar bill in front of the Federal Reserve building in Washington, in this August 22, 2012 file photo. Sellers of Western luxury brands eager to capitalize on the new wealth of Chinese consumers are showering attention on mainland students in the United States, even as sales in China falter. REUTERS/Larry Downing/Files

Chinese student Leyna Liu poses with a fake million dollar bill in front of the Federal Reserve building in Washington. Although the sterotypical Chinese student in the US is wealthy, most are from more modest backgrounds.Photo: Reuters

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