The number of U.S. student visas issued to Chinese citizens has fallen by more than 50% from pre-pandemic levels in the first half of 2022, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
China's Covid restrictions, coupled with geopolitical tensions between the US and China leading to increasingly unfavorable opinions of the US from Chinese youth, are giving them second thought about pursuing an education in the US.
This is really bad news for music schools in the US, especially private schools, including tuition-based summer programs and even music competitions, whose business models are often dependent on the inflow of students from China.
Are the good days for the private classical music training system over? I think so.