憑借豐富的院校資源以及開放多元的學(xué)習(xí)環(huán)境等優(yōu)勢(shì)，美國(guó)曾連續(xù)多年穩(wěn)居中國(guó)學(xué)生海外留學(xué)首選目的國(guó)“寶座”。但是，近日美國(guó)機(jī)構(gòu)發(fā)布的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，中國(guó)赴美留學(xué)人數(shù)增幅已經(jīng)連續(xù)7年下降。實(shí)際上，美國(guó)高校的國(guó)際學(xué)生入學(xué)總?cè)藬?shù)也在下降。赴美留學(xué)熱在降溫嗎？這背后究竟有何緣由？

Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

Competition for international college students is growing globally, and many US colleges want to bolster their numbers — to boost both diversity and their bottom line.

在全球范圍內(nèi)，爭(zhēng)奪國(guó)際學(xué)生的角逐越來越激烈，許多美國(guó)高校希望增加學(xué)生的數(shù)量，以擴(kuò)大生源多樣性，并增加收入。

But admissions staff have been hearing rumblings from students and parents abroad — some alarmed by news headlines about violence and bias incidents at US schools, others worried about real or potential visa restrictions.

但是，招生人員一直在聽到來自海外學(xué)生和家長(zhǎng)的抱怨——有些人對(duì)美國(guó)學(xué)校的暴力和偏見事件的新聞感到震驚，還有一些人擔(dān)心實(shí)際或潛在的簽證限制。

Because of the political climate here, interest in coming to the US decreased for one-third of 2,104 prospective international students surveyed in February 2017.

2017年2月對(duì)2104名意向國(guó)際學(xué)生進(jìn)行的調(diào)查表明，由于美國(guó)的政治環(huán)境，有三分之一的人赴美意愿下降。

But that's not the only factor fueling a recent decline in new international enrollments. After at least 12 years of steady growth, those numbers actually dipped before the election of Mr. Trump — by about 10,000 students in the fall of 2016, a 3 percent decline from the previous year.

然而，這并非導(dǎo)致最近美國(guó)國(guó)際學(xué)生入學(xué)人數(shù)下降的唯一因素。經(jīng)過至少12年的穩(wěn)步增長(zhǎng)后，入學(xué)人數(shù)實(shí)際上在特朗普當(dāng)選總統(tǒng)之前就已經(jīng)下降了——2016年秋季，入學(xué)人數(shù)減少了大約1萬名，比前一年下降了3%。

Many American colleges have been working double time to allay worries — and to provide opportunities for international and domestic students to interact.

許多美國(guó)大學(xué)一直在努力讓大家打消顧慮，并為國(guó)際學(xué)生和國(guó)內(nèi)學(xué)生提供交流的機(jī)會(huì)。

Tufts set up a travel hotline for international students and scholars. The University of New Hampshire sent representatives to China and India to encourage students who had been admitted to actually enroll. Temple hosted a week of activities, including a speed-dating style cultural exchange.

塔夫茨大學(xué)為國(guó)際學(xué)生和學(xué)者設(shè)立了旅游熱線。新罕布什爾州大學(xué)派出代表前往中國(guó)和印度，鼓勵(lì)被錄取的學(xué)生入學(xué)。坦普爾大學(xué)舉辦了為期一周的活動(dòng)，其中包括一個(gè)速配風(fēng)格的文化交流活動(dòng)。

The US State Department continues to promote study here through its EducationUSA offices around the world.

美國(guó)國(guó)務(wù)院繼續(xù)通過其在世界各地的美國(guó)教育辦事處來推動(dòng)赴美留學(xué)。

The State Department is issuing new screening guidelines for Chinese students studying in highly sensitive fields such as aviation and robotics, acknowledged Edward Ramotowski, the deputy assistant secretary for visa services in the department's Bureau of Consular Affairs, during a congressional hearing June 6.

國(guó)務(wù)院領(lǐng)事司負(fù)責(zé)簽證事務(wù)的副助理部長(zhǎng)愛德華?拉莫托夫斯基6月6日在國(guó)會(huì)聽證會(huì)上承認(rèn)，國(guó)務(wù)院針對(duì)航空和機(jī)器人等高度敏感專業(yè)的中國(guó)學(xué)生發(fā)布新的篩選規(guī)則。

New guidelines would require annual renewal of visas, primarily for Chinese graduate students in these fields. A State Department official would not confirm this, however, stating in an email that the maximum validity for a student visa for Chinese nationals is five years and is unchanged, and that consular officers have always had the right to limit the length of visas on a case-by-case basis.

新的篩選規(guī)則將要求每年續(xù)簽簽證，主要是針對(duì)在這些領(lǐng)域?qū)W習(xí)的中國(guó)研究生。不過，國(guó)務(wù)院的一名官員卻沒有證實(shí)這一點(diǎn)，他在一封電子郵件中說，中國(guó)公民的學(xué)生簽證有效期最長(zhǎng)為5年，并未改變。領(lǐng)事官員有權(quán)針對(duì)個(gè)人限制簽證期限。

While the security concerns are important, the new guidelines, in conjunction with other immigration policies, could end up "contributing to a signal to foreign students that they're not welcome in the US," says Terry Hartle, senior vice president of the American Council on Education in Washington.

位于華盛頓的美國(guó)教育理事會(huì)資深副會(huì)長(zhǎng)特里?哈特爾說，盡管安全問題是重要的，但新的篩選方針連同其他移民政策可能最終會(huì)“向外國(guó)學(xué)生發(fā)出這樣的信號(hào)：美國(guó)不歡迎他們”。

Kang, a Chinese citizen who attended graduate school at Columbia University in New York, recently launched Lighthouse Academy in Beijing, a business that consults with students there about study abroad, primarily in the US.

在紐約哥倫比亞大學(xué)就讀研究生課程的康先生最近在北京開設(shè)海外留學(xué)咨詢機(jī)構(gòu)燈塔學(xué)院，主要提供美國(guó)留學(xué)咨詢服務(wù)。

Visa and safety concerns do make a difference for students, he writes in an email interview.

他在郵件采訪中說，簽證和安全問題確實(shí)會(huì)對(duì)學(xué)生產(chǎn)生影響。

Many parents have told him they fear discrimination against their children since Trump's election, and they've also been disturbed by violent crimes against several Chinese students in the US. Add to that the recent media coverage of gun violence and "it conjured up a logic that is solid to parents: US is not safe," he writes.

許多家長(zhǎng)告訴他，自特朗普當(dāng)選總統(tǒng)以來，他們擔(dān)心孩子受到歧視，而且他們也被一些針對(duì)在美中國(guó)學(xué)生的暴力犯罪所困擾。他寫道，再加之最近媒體對(duì)槍支暴力的報(bào)道，“讓許多家長(zhǎng)相信：美國(guó)并不安全”。

Half his undergraduate clients ask if they can apply to the US and Canada or other countries at the same time. Still, many Chinese students who can get into top-ranked US universities and afford the tuition will probably attend despite concerns, he says.

有一半咨詢本科留學(xué)的客戶詢問是否可以同時(shí)申請(qǐng)美國(guó)和加拿大等國(guó)家的學(xué)校。盡管有擔(dān)憂，許多能夠獲得美國(guó)一流大學(xué)錄取并負(fù)擔(dān)得起學(xué)費(fèi)的中國(guó)學(xué)生很可能還是會(huì)赴美讀書。

Even those who have been negatively affected by violence in the US have urged people to see the bigger picture. After the Santa Fe, Texas, high school shooter killed Pakistani exchange student Sabika Sheikh, her father, Abdul Aziz Sheikh, told the Associated Press: "One should not lose his heart by such kind of incidents…. One should not stop going for education to the US or UK, or China, or anywhere. One must go for education undeterred."

就連那些在美國(guó)受到暴力影響的人也敦促人們著眼全局。德克薩斯州圣達(dá)菲高中槍擊案導(dǎo)致巴基斯坦交換生薩比卡?謝赫去世。她的父親阿卜杜勒?阿齊茲?謝赫告訴美聯(lián)社說：“人們不應(yīng)該因?yàn)檫@種事件失去勇氣。我們不應(yīng)停止前往美國(guó)、英國(guó)、中國(guó)或任何地方接受教育。一個(gè)人必須接受教育，不要被嚇住?！?/p>

來源：商業(yè)內(nèi)幕網(wǎng)、參考消息網(wǎng)

翻譯&編輯：yaning