Surveys show that in recent years, the number of families choosing to immigrate for the sake of their children's education has been on the rise. It is understood that the primary immigration destinations currently chosen by Chinese families include the United States, Spain, and Canada. Meanwhile, the cost of studying abroad is rising year by year, and the difficulty is increasing; the convenience and value that investment immigration brings to the entire family are becoming increasingly prominent.
According to 2013 U.S. university application data, the difficulty of applying to prestigious schools such as the "Ivy League" is increasing year by year, the number of applicants to these schools is continuously rising, and tuition fees have maintained a growth trend compared to 2012. To apply to U.S. universities, one must first understand the admissions systems and standards of U.S. higher education institutions. U.S. universities do not only recruit well-rounded students with excellent grades across all subjects; they also have a strong preference for students with clear talent in specific fields, such as music, sports, or science. These institutions may make minor adjustments to their recruitment preferences each year, but most of them do not disclose these standards to avoid creating a situation where "if the superior has a preference, the subordinate will surely overdo it." Every university hopes for a diverse student body and does not wish to dictate to students or even mislead their life choices.
I. Increase in Numbers
Recently, the Institute of International Education (IIE) released data from the 2012-2013 Open Doors Report. The report states that the total number of international students studying in the United States in the 2012/2013 academic year reached a new high of 819,644, an increase of 7.2 percent over the 2011/2012 academic year. The number of Chinese students studying in the United States also reached a new high of 235,597, an increase of 21.4 percent over the 2011/2012 academic year, accounting for 28.7 percent of the total number of international students in the United States.
II. Surge in Undergraduate Students
From the perspective of the stage of study, the number of undergraduate students in the United States exceeded the number of graduate students for the second consecutive year in the 2012-2013 academic year. In 2012-2013, the number of undergraduate students in the United States was 339,993, an increase of 9.9% over 2011-2012; the number of graduate students reached 311,204, an increase of 3.6% over 2011-2012. From the above data, it can be seen that the rapid growth in the number of undergraduate students in the United States has driven the rapid growth in the total number of students studying abroad.
III. Difficulty in Applying to Prestigious Schools
As the number of students from our country studying abroad continues to rise, the number of applications to prestigious schools is also climbing steadily. However, schools do not expand enrollment just because more people are applying. The continuous increase in the number of applicants also gives institutions greater selection power, which objectively leads to a decrease in the admission rates of prestigious schools.
Taking the famous U.S. Ivy League as an example, the admission rate for Harvard University in 2013 dropped to as low as 5.8%; Yale University dropped from 7.35% last year to 6.8%; the admission rate for Princeton University also dropped from 8.39% last year to 7.9%; and the admission rate for Columbia University dropped from 6% last year to 4% this year. The same is true for several other Ivy League schools.
IV. New Policies for Studying Abroad
Due to the fact that some U.S. institutions have moved up their application deadlines this year, the "conditional admission" policy has been adjusted. For students whose language proficiency does not meet the school's admission standards, U.S. universities can no longer use "conditional admission" permits. Schools must first issue an admission permit solely for language classes, and students must study the language first. Only after the student's language proficiency reaches the admission standards for the school's regular courses will another formal degree admission permit be issued.
V. Rising Tuition Fees
In recent years, the exchange rate of the RMB against the U.S. dollar has generally been on an upward trend, and more and more domestic working-class families have begun to pay attention to the issue of studying abroad. However, the College Board recently published its latest annual report stating that the average tuition and fees for public universities this academic year are $8,893, an increase of 2.9%. For international students, the average tuition and fees for public universities are $22,203, an increase of 3.1% over last year. The average tuition and fees for four-year private universities across the United States are $30,094, a year-on-year increase of 3.8%.
In the United States, the rate of increase in tuition fees for higher education institutions has been higher than that of other goods and services in recent years. Therefore, self-funded study in the United States, especially at private universities, remains a major expense. In contrast, the advantages of U.S. investment immigration are becoming increasingly prominent: there are no requirements for the applicant's education, language, age, or business background; the spouse and unmarried children under the age of 21 can obtain green card status at the same time. They can choose to live and work anywhere in the United States; they can enter and exit freely without immigration residency requirements; they can enjoy the same welfare benefits as local residents; and after living in the U.S. for 30 months within five years, they can choose to apply to become U.S. citizens. For most Chinese families, investment immigration is undoubtedly a more cost-effective choice.
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