BRIDGING
CHINA
AND
THE WEST.
An independent research network on US-China educational exchange. Founded in 2019.
00READ RESEARCHSELECTED ESSAYS
ALL ARTICLESWHAT WE STUDY.
THE INSTITUTE01ON EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGE
The Pacific Exchange exists to study US China educational exchange on its own terms — not as a foreign-policy variable, not as a recruitment funnel, but as a continuous, two-way movement of students, teachers, and researchers between two of the largest higher-education systems in the world. We publish quietly, in long form, and we publish only what we can defend in the field.
02WHY CHINA
Because the country still contains roughly a fifth of the world's tertiary students, because study abroad China remains the single hardest exchange relationship to operate well, and because the infrastructure that supported the relationship for thirty years is being rebuilt right now. The work is not finished. It is also not anybody else's to do. We do it because it needs doing.
03OUR METHOD
We read enrolment data from the Institute of International Education, the Chinese Ministry of Education, and individual programme registrars. We interview programme directors, alumni, and current students. We do not run polls. We do not commission focus groups. We talk to people who have done the work themselves, and we publish what they tell us with their attribution where it is on the record and without it where it is not. The China alumni network is, in this sense, both our subject and our principal source.
04WHAT WE PUBLISH
Three series, on a slow but reliable cadence. Field reports on the state of individual academic exchange program operations — who is open, who has reopened, who has consolidated. Long essays on the structural questions — language pipelines, alumni infrastructure, dual-degree design, third-country substitution. And alumni profiles: short, careful pieces on individuals whose careers were shaped by an exchange experience and who are doing something interesting with the formation. All of it is free to read. None of it is sponsored.
- Long-form essays on the state of US-China educational exchange
- Quiet field reports on individual programmes and their recovery
- Alumni-network mapping and long-term follow-up
- Plain-language commentary on policy as it affects students
BEFORE YOU EMAIL.
READERS ASK01How do I join the institute or the alumni network?
The Pacific Exchange does not operate a paid membership. The alumni network is an informal directory of former exchange students, language-programme staff, and researchers who have asked to be listed. Write to hello@dartmouth-china.com with a short note about your exchange experience and we will add you to the next quarterly directory update.
02Can current students participate?
Yes. We welcome current undergraduates, master's students, and doctoral researchers who are studying in China or who are in a serious US-based China studies programme. Reach out and tell us where you are studying and what you are working on. We have placed several student dispatches in the essay series since 2022.
03Do you accept essay submissions?
We accept pitches on a rolling basis. Send a 250-word abstract to hello@dartmouth-china.com with the subject SUBMISSION. We do not accept finished drafts unsolicited. Essays run between 1,200 and 4,000 words and are edited with care; expect two rounds.
04Where is the institute based?
The Pacific Exchange operates as a distributed network with no campus address. Our contributors are based across North America, mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore, and Europe. We do not maintain a press office or a public mailing address; all correspondence is by email.
05Can companies or universities partner with the institute?
We accept partnerships only where the institute retains full editorial independence. We do not run sponsored content, we do not endorse individual programmes, and we do not accept money from foreign governments. If you operate an academic exchange program or alumni initiative and want to talk about research collaboration, write to hello@dartmouth-china.com.