Beijing-based universities are worried about the impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) on the recruitment of international students during the autumn semester.
But regardless, they believe that the blow will be minimal.
"So far we have not seen many differences in the applications of international students (compared with previous years)," Friday's China Daily quotes a member of the Beijing Language and Culture University's (BLCU) overseas student recruitment office.
"But we are expecting to feel some sort of impact soon."
Although applications for the new semester starting from September have not really been influenced, she admitted some foreign applicants had already withdrawn from July and August's summer courses.
According to sources with the University of International Business and Economics, there has been a decrease in internationalapplicants for Chinese language courses. Numbers for academic studies have not declined.
BLCU, one of Beijing's universities with the highest number of foreign studies, has joined others in the SARS-plagued city to prolong deadlines for overseas recruitment for the autumn semester.
(Xinhua News Agency May 9, 2003)
