LOS ANGELES ― Wealthy Chinese undergraduates aren’t the only ones looking to get a college degree in the U.S. 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 U.S. community colleges has increased from 2,500 in 2007 to more than 16,200, The Los Angeles Times reported.
Many are searching for an alternative to China’s high-pressure and overcrowded educational system.
Thousands of Chinese students from affluent families enroll in U.S. 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 center 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 U.S. community colleges as a stepping stone to a four-year university.
