House Republicans are urging seven U.S. universities to cut ties with a Chinese scholarship program that they believe helps China exploit U.S. military and scientific technology.
The U.S. House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced on July 9 that its chairman, John Moolenaar, sent letters to seven U.S. universities this week, requesting that they terminate joint programs with the Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC).
The CSC provides study abroad scholarships for international students, sponsored by the Chinese regime.
The program funds hundreds of Chinese graduate students annually at U.S. universities, but the sponsored students must return to China after completing their studies and serve there for at least two years.
Students are also required to submit a report every three months to the PRC embassy or consulate, detailing their academic progress, laboratory work, research outcomes, and publications.
Republicans labeled the CSC a national security concern. “In reality it is a CCP-managed technology transfer effort that exploits U.S. institutions and directly supports China’s military and scientific growth,” wrote John Moolenaar.
The seven universities are Dartmouth College, Temple University, University of California, Davis, University of California, Irvine, University of California, Riverside, University of Notre Dame, and University of Tennessee.
In the letter, the Committee seeks detailed information regarding the universities’ ties with the CSC, including all contractual documents, a comprehensive list of institutions and the number of CSC-sponsored students they hosted between May 2020 and May 2025, as well as data on CSC-funded students who graduated since May 2024, including their post-graduation destinations.
Furthermore, the letter asks for the number of CSC-sponsored students involved in research funded by the U.S. government.
Terminating such joint programs has been a long-standing goal of the Committee.
A report released last year by the Committee and the House Education and Workforce Committee revealed that, over the past 10 years, U.S. funding amounting to millions of dollars has inadvertently supported the Chinese regime’s advancement of technologies in areas such as hypersonics, nuclear technology, and artificial intelligence.
The report argued that China’s academic collaborations served as “Trojan horses for technology transfer,” accusing the CCP of “insidious” exploitation of academic cooperation.
The issue of Chinese students in the United States has recently emerged as a topic in U.S.-China trade negotiations.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on May 28 that the United States would begin revoking visas of Chinese students, including those with connections to the CCP or studying in critical fields.
The FBI further notes: “China is the world’s principal infringer of intellectual property. The annual cost to the U.S. economy of counterfeit goods, pirated software, and theft of trade secrets is between $225 billion and $600 billion.”
China ranks as the second-largest source of international students in the United States, following India. During the 2023–24 academic year, over 270,000 Chinese students studied in the United States, accounting for approximately one-fourth of all international students. While many choose to remain in the United States to work after graduating, others return to China.
