@Lone_Ranger

Mercedes is a good example. We also agree on reputation lagging indicator, in different words. Yet the linked article, RATHER talks about faculties where opinions and free speech is a must. If we're talking about STEM, free speech although would be at premium, I believe is not the top priority.

And if you consider, we are talking about Chinese students... they are not concerned about free speech. They will be like a fish in a water. I was looking at learning programme at one of the top Chinese unis. They have Marxism as one of the subjects. Expect the same during primary education, or even throughout any education in China.

I have also offered, as alternative, to see where Chinese gov is sending students as these might be faculties in demand and on best unis, if we believe Chinese gov did its research, through their agents placed in Europe. We don't even need to speculate how high in structures these agents might be since they were recently discovered as advisors to UK government and having access to most if not all top people.

I ralize that Chinese students around world are given in absolute numbers, not adjusted for any other factors (and they should be, but I don't have days to analyse data), but given that liberals lie and opposide side might spread defeatism, I'd rather rely on these numbers. They should be more accurate than 'insiders' info that try to influence readers, voters etc, therefore possibly be even more skewed.

:(

Bullet points

• the article you link seems to reference humanitarian sciences
• STEM faculties less affected
• Chinese are coming from country where they have already learnt to keep quiet (marksism as subject in schools)
• Chinese ppl left families behind, they might afraid to voice opinions so they don't care abot this privilege
• Chinese ppl have marksism as subject in schools, upon arrival they already get it and shut up
• Chinese students that study abroad and are sponsored by ch government, likely have colleges better researched due to Chinese espionage and access to real world data (direct links to government like in case of Ch spies recently discovered in UK)
• as a measure of education quality (STEM / non humanism) I believe that student's numers from China reflect it better then articles written by western bloggers/magazines
• Chinese student's numbers, studying abroad, require further analysis, deducing those that are doing worthless degrees, factoring in visa complications