The Impact of COVID-19 Outbreak on International Student Mobility: Analysis, Response Strategies and Experience from China

ABSTRACT

The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 has had a huge impact on international higher education. As the largest exporter of international students, China bore the brunt. Facing the uncertainty of health and overseas study policy brought by the pandemic, Chinese students and international students in China are all waiting and considering whether to abandon or change their study abroad plans. In this article, we analyze the impact of the pandemic on the mobility of different international student groups in China and discuss China's higher education countermeasures from the perspectives of government, higher education institutions (HEIs), academic researchers, students, and service agencies for studying abroad. China's experience in combating COVID-19 can offer valuable lessons for global student mobility and international higher education, including building up a top-down government-led management system, a collaborative network of different stakeholders, and fighting the pandemic with international education cooperation.