China Select Committee Investigates University Ties to Chinese Scholarship Funds
The China Select Committee is set to investigate universities connected to China’s scholarship initiatives, as lawmakers express concerns about what they refer to as Beijing’s covert influence and its access to sensitive U.S. research and technology.
This week, the committee dispatched formal inquiries to several prominent universities, including Dartmouth, Notre Dame, Temple University, and multiple campuses within the University of California system, seeking clarity on the involvement with the China Scholarship Council (CSC).
Notre Dame informed that it had discontinued its CSC program, stating, “We are eager to respond to the investigation and collaborate with the committee on this crucial matter.” However, many other institutions did not provide comments when contacted.
According to a letter acquired by the committee, this marks a significant step in Congressional efforts to confront what they describe as systematic infiltration by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in American educational institutions.
“Disguised as academic exchanges,” the committee noted in its message directed at university leaders.
Dartmouth’s spokesperson, Jana Barnello, mentioned that the university has also decided to terminate its participation in the CSC program, noting that only “very few students” had been involved since its inception a decade ago. “We are assessing the letter and look forward to engaging with the Select Committee,” she remarked, underscoring Dartmouth’s commitment to attracting talented students globally, all while adhering to U.S. laws.
Under the CSC program, scholarships are made available for sponsored students, covering half of the tuition fees for the initial four years of their doctoral studies. Typically, the universities cover the remainder of the tuition along with living expenses.
The committee asserts that the CSC initiative is not merely an academic collaboration, suggesting instead that it serves as a CCP mechanism for technology transfer and ideological control, along with surveillance of Chinese students abroad.
The program mandates that participants return to China for at least two years post-graduation and submit regular reports detailing their research and progress to Chinese embassies and consulates.
This week’s developments also coincided with an ongoing investigation into Harvard University’s links with Chinese paramilitary organizations and research backed by Iran.
The letter sent by the committee hinted that U.S. federal research grants could inadvertently benefit students connected to the CCP and their research efforts.
For instance, Dartmouth has secured $169 million, nearly half of its research funding from federal sources. Through its ongoing collaboration with the CSC, the university sponsors around 15 Chinese doctoral students annually.
There’s a concern that this arrangement might conflict with Presidential Declaration 10043, which restricts visas for PRC nationals tied to military fusion universities in China.
The committee’s letter requests various details
The committee asked for contracts and communications with the CSC by Friday, a list of students’ institutional affiliations before and after their scholarship, a record of federally funded research involving those students, and any communications regarding potential visa challenges with the state and the Department of Homeland Security.
Moreover, the letter raises issues regarding CSC-supported students—who may be funded by federal grants—staying at U.S. institutions to complete their doctoral degrees, urging universities to clarify how such programs support U.S. national interests.
