"I had travel plans to go to France and Spain for my Easter break, and now I just want to survive this (pandemic) and finish my postgraduate studies alive," said Zhang Nan, a Chinese student studying at Newcastle University, told CGTN. She's been staying in her apartment in Newcastle since the outbreak began in the UK. 

Normally schools in the UK get around two weeks off for the Easter break, but now, it's hard to say when the schools will be open again. 

"Sometimes I need to stay up to wait for an email reply from Britain, which is seven hours behind us," said Yang Nijin, another Chinese overseas student who just came back to China and is still under quarantine. Studying at Cardiff University in Britain, she flew back to China in March. She was quarantined in a hotel in Shanghai after her arrival. 

Yang and Zhang are two of over 600,000 Chinese students studying overseas. According to China's Ministry of Education, 662,100 Chinese students studied abroad in 2018. 

Unemployed after graduation?

For those students who will graduate in September this year, April was supposed to be job-hunting season. 

"Enterprises were willing to recruit some inexperienced graduates before (the pandemic), and now these companies prefer experienced employees," said Yang. "I feel like the employment situation domestically is not optimistic." 

There are over eight million new graduates nationwide in 2020, according to the Ministry of Education in a news conference. Graduates from Chinese universities have been attending job fairs since last year—they're quite competitive. 

Future Influences

Zhang told CGTN that she hasn't found a job or internship yet. She majored in international multimedia journalism and all of her job interviewswere online.

"The pandemic could be a chance for some people. The media industry needs employees who can work remotely," said Zhang.  

A survey by the Beijing Overseas Study Service Association (BOSSA) provides the first snapshot of the possible impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on overseas student recruitment for the coming academic year. It found that two-thirds of agencies surveyed were forecasting a decline in Chinese students going abroad this year. 

The BOSSA report said is COVID-19 is "especially impacting the Chinese international education sector." It's hard to describe the impact of the pandemic on individuals. 

When talking about the decision of studying overseas, she said the pandemic is a "rare event." 

"I believe there is no right or wrong. It's the right decision to study this major. It is also right to studying overseas. Beyond that, it's out of my control," Zhang added. 

Cover image by Sa Ren