US Degrees Losing Their Shine as China's Elite Flock to Hong Kong

Trump's War on Chinese Students Changes Everything

The golden age of Chinese students flooding American campuses is officially over. As Trump tightens visa restrictions and slashes university funding, the once-irresistible allure of a US degree is rapidly crumbling for Chinese students. The Financial Times dropped some serious truth bombs on September 6, revealing that mainland students are openly admitting what everyone already knew: American degrees just don't carry the same weight with Chinese employers anymore, and the US job market has become downright hostile to international students. Their solution? Pack up and head to  University of Hong Kong – that perfect "bridge between East and West."

Chinese students are ditching America for Hong Kong – and the Financial Times is taking notice.

Professor Heiwai Tang, HKU’s Victor and William Fung Professor in Economics and Director of the Asia Global Institute, isn't mincing words here. He's straight-up admitting that America's new political climate is actually a gift to Hong Kong, allowing HKU to scoop up talent that would have otherwise headed to the States.

Smart Students Are Making Smart Choices

Vanora Li, a 23-year-old economics whiz who studied at Columbia University's Barnard College, had originally planned to pursue graduate studies in the US, but reality hit hard. Instead, she's made the savvy decision to return to Chinese soil and study at HKU. Her reasoning? Brutal honesty about the declining value of American master's degrees and the increasingly unfriendly US job market for international students.

The Financial Times remarked that the 114-year-old University of Hong Kong has long been the go-to hub for East-West academic exchange, but many wondered if the 2019 social unrest would kill its reputation. The truth is, HKU has been on a hiring spree, with academic staff numbers jumping 13% since 2018. One-third of HKU's academic staff are now from mainland China, up from just 22% in 2018.

The numbers don't lie. The business school alone has grown from 84 academic staff in 2018 to 117 this year. Meanwhile, total student number has exploded from 29,099 in 2018 to 42,330 in 2025, with mainland students under government-funded programmes jumping from 15% to 24%.

As one HKU social science lecturer put it perfectly: many mainland students studying overseas are coming to HKU specifically to "receive a Western education."

HKU Crushes American Elite Universities in Rankings

Let's talk about the elephant in the room: rankings. HKU has skyrocketed to 11th place in the 2026 QS World University Rankings, jumping from 17th place last year. That puts it ahead of Yale University at 21st and Princeton University at 25th. Meanwhile, China's top dogs – Peking University and Tsinghua University – sit comfortably at 14th and 17th respectively.

HKU just crushed Yale and Princeton in global rankings, jumping from 17th to 11th place in one year.

Professor Teng is refreshingly candid about what's happening. America's hostile political climate is literally driving talent away, and Hong Kong is ready to catch what falls. Trump's policies targeting top US universities are encouraging American professors to look elsewhere, and Hong Kong is one of the few places globally that can match American university salaries.

Star Academics Are Making the Switch

The proof is in the pudding. Neuroscientist Michael Häusser jumped ship from University College London to become HKU's Dean of Biomedical Sciences last year. Political scientist Robert Thomson also made the leap from Australia's Monash University to head up HKU's Politics and Public Administration department. Thomson's take? HKU has the perfect combination of history, tradition, and the hungry ambition you only see in newer universities.

One HKU associate professor who previously studied in the US summed it up perfectly: "There's turbulence everywhere, but it's quite stable here in Hong Kong." Teng echoes this sentiment, emphasizing Hong Kong's dual role as both an international education center and financial hub.

Professor Francis Teng of HKU isn't sugar-coating it: America's hostile politics are driving top talent straight into Hong Kong's arms.

Trump's Iron Fist Approach Backfires

Since returning to the White House, Trump hasn't just implemented his promised "iron-fist reforms" against prestigious US institutions like Harvard and Columbia – slashing their education funding – he's also doubled down on targeting Chinese students with tighter visa review procedures. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced in May that the administration would revoke student visas for those with ties to the Chinese Communist Party and strengthen scrutiny of new applicants.

The numbers tell the story. Chinese students studying in the US peaked at 373,000 during the 2019-2020 academic year, but by 2023-2024, that number had dropped to just over 277,000 – a 4% decline from the previous year. Recent months have seen increasing numbers of Chinese students struggling with visas and entry issues due to security reviews and policy tightening.

Trump's Confusing Mixed Messages

But here's where Trump being Trump gets interesting. During a White House meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on August 25, he completely contradicted his own policies by telling media that the US would allow 600,000 Chinese students to enter American universities. He called Chinese students "very important," saying that without them, the American university system would "go to hell very quickly." Yet in the same breath, he emphasized the US would conduct "careful" screening to determine who could study in America.

The Real Reasons Behind the Shift

Industry insiders reveal the deeper truth: for university scholars and researchers, choosing where to build their careers goes beyond salary and benefits. Work environment, sense of belonging, and political stability are crucial factors. And what weigh most is long-term development potential. China's continuously improving academic and scientific capabilities, combined with its massive reservoir of young talent, are likely the main attractions driving this shift.

Ariel

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Hong Kong’s national security cops have picked up a 68-year-old local guy for allegedly stirring up abstention and blank votes online ahead of the Legislative Council election. He faces charges of “seditious intent” and “electoral corruption,” and right now, he’s cooling his heels in detention while the investigation rolls on.

Insiders say police traced a steady stream of thinly veiled posts on this man’s social media—nudging folks to skip voting or spoil their ballots. Since July last year, he’s fired off around 160 posts, police say. The themes were trashing Hong Kong’s election system, hyping up resistance, egging people on to topple the government, and, yes, inviting foreign interference. We’re not talking about just one rogue, either.

Turns out, this is just a slice of the larger crackdown. By today, Hong Kong police say they’ve unraveled 14 criminal cases connected to the election—vandalism, theft, you name it—netting 18 arrests. Eight of those cases are being prosecuted.

The ghosts of elections past haunt this story. Remember the last Legislative Council race? Ted Hui Chi-fung made waves urging blank votes. Soon after, So Chun-fung, ex-president of CUHK’s student union, and three others got busted and convicted by the city’s clean-government watchdog ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption) for “corrupt conduct and illegal acts” after sharing Hui’s call. Last Friday, the ICAC swooped again, nabbing another trio—this time for echoing posts by national security fugitives abroad, who are still yelling for boycotts from the safety of foreign shores.

Here’s where the plot thickens. A sharp-tongued commentator points out that these fugitives, basking in the West, love tossing firebombs online—sending minions to do their biddings while they themselves lounge in comfort. Their real aim? To curry favor with their foreign patrons by getting others arrested for illegal antics that damage Hong Kong and the nation.

Bottom line: these exiles only raise their value with “foreign masters” if local followers mindlessly parrot their messages. But if those followers end up busted or behind bars, the ringleaders simply shrug and look away.

Who’s Really Taking Risks?

Here’s a reality check—how many of the real diehards still in Hong Kong have actually engaged with these messages or dared to repost them? The silence says plenty. It’s the difference between talk and action, safety and risk. Meanwhile, foreign forces have a well-documented playbook: smear Hong Kong at every turn, especially its judicial system, and most recently, the Legislative Council elections. Don’t think these attacks are harmless—they’re meant to chip away at the city’s competitiveness and hit everyone right where it hurts: their livelihoods.

So here’s the call: don’t play the fool by spreading subversive content and risk falling into legal traps. More crucially, keep your eyes peeled for the ploys of these exiles and their foreign backers. When December 7 rolls around, get out and vote—don’t let the instigators win. The stakes are real, and the choice is yours.