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Reuters

Business

Swati Pandey and Loren Elliott

Chinese students in Australia head home as coronavirus upends study

Shiyu Bao (centre) and her fellow classmates who are international students from China, get ready to take pictures in their graduation gowns around campus at the University of Sydney, after their in-person graduation ceremony was cancelled during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Sydney, Australia, July 4, 2020. "I have polished my resume and have applied for a few jobs but I've had no success so far. I'm willing to do even unpaid internships as long as I get to stay here," said Bao. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

Just a few months after arriving in Sydney for a planned two-year stay, university students Maggie Zhang and boyfriend Sunny Gu sat down to make a "pros and cons" list about life in Australia.

The list was very quickly unbalanced. On the positive side, staying to complete their Masters in Commerce at the University of Sydney would keep the couple, who had met in Australia, together.

International students from China Karoline Li, Shiyu Bao, Katerina Ma and Elma Song walk along the waterfront by the Sydney Opera House, after lockdown measures put in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak were eased, in Sydney, Australia, June 24, 2020. "A majority of my friends have gone back home but I really want to stay here," Said Bao. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

Weighing down the other side of the equation was a host of negatives, almost all spurred by the coronavirus pandemic. Their classes had moved online, making study harder and less interactive, many friends had already returned home and the relatively high cost of living in Sydney was biting.

"We really wanted to stay so it was a difficult decision to make," Zhang told Reuters as she packed her suitcase on her final day in Australia this month.

The pair are part of an exodus from Australia of international students, the bulk of whom are from China, that is worrying officials in a country which boasts education as its fourth biggest export.

Shiyu Bao (L), an international student from China studying for a Masters in Public Relations at the University of Sydney, takes pictures with fellow students from her university during a picnic, after lockdown measures put in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak were eased, in Sydney, Australia, June 24, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

With Australia already sliding into its worst recession in almost a century, education leaders expect the disappearance of international students to cost billions of dollars. Data on how many international students have left the country this year is not yet available, but anecdotal evidence on departures and data on new enrolments paints a worrying picture.

New enrolments of international students, who generally make up about 20% of all university students in Australia, grew by an average of 10% over the past two years.

But growth in the first six months of this year was negligible as Australia closed its borders in March to all foreigners because of the pandemic.

A sign reading "Chinese students are welcome! Racism is not!" is hung up on campus at the University of Sydney, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Sydney, Australia, July 4, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

The slowdown in foreign student enrolments mean Australian universities are facing a revenue hit of between A$3.1 billion and A$4.8 billion (£1.7 - £2.6 billion) this year alone, Catriona Jackson, Chief Executive of Universities Australia, told Reuters.

New enrolments from China fell 8% in the first half of the year, compared with a gain of 4% across 2019, according to government data.

Further darkening the prospects for Australian universities, Beijing recently urged students going overseas to think carefully before choosing Australia, citing a spate of racist incidents targeting Asians during the pandemic.

Elma Song, an international student from China, studying for a Masters in Economics at the University of Sydney, goes shopping with Grace Guo, a fellow Chinese international student from her university, at an outlet mall, after lockdown measures put in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak were eased, in Sydney, Australia, July 3, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

The warning came after Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in April told foreign students to go back to their home countries if they were unable to make ends meet during the pandemic, adding they weren't entitled to any welfare payments.

Zhang and Gu, who met in a class tutorial last year, said the resulting diplomatic tensions weren't a factor in their decision, which centred instead on isolation and its impact on their social life as well as studies.

"It's a little bit frustrating (to) not participate in real life classes," Zhang told Reuters while packing. "You can't really talk with the professor or meet new friends. Of course, the tutorials are all online. It doesn't have a feeling of participation. It’s not like school, I think."

Shiyu Bao (2nd L), an international student from China studying a Masters in Public Relations at the University of Sydney, plays a game during a picnic with fellow students from her university, after lockdown measures put in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak were eased, in Sydney, Australia, June 24, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

Shiyu Bao, who graduated from the University of Sydney in July with a degree in Public Relations, is desperately looking for permanent work before her student visa expires in September.

"It's a race against time," she told Reuters this month at an inner city cafe.

"A majority of my friends have gone back home but I really want to stay here," said Bao, who is working part-time at a student organisation. "I have polished my resume and have applied for a few jobs but I've had no success so far. I'm willing to do even unpaid internships as long as I get to stay here."

Maggie Zhang and her boyfriend Sunny Gu, international students from China both studying for a Masters in Commerce at the University of Sydney, wave goodbye to Zhang's cousin Mario Wang as they make their way through to the security checkpoint at Kingsford Smith International Airport, before catching a flight to China, where they are moving back home to, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Sydney, Australia, August 12, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

Zhang and Gu plan to return to Australia next year for their final semester if face-to-face classes resume.

"Online classes have lost the real meaning of studying abroad," Gu said via WeChat this week from Guangzhou, where he is in two-week quarantine with Zhang before she returns to her hometown of Wuhan.

"I definitely hope everything will be normal in 2021. My family and I are looking forward to coming back for my graduation ceremony.