TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Jul 23, 2025

The University of Tennessee (UT) at Knoxville has cut ties with the China Scholarship Council after the U.S. House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party urged administrators to assess security concerns, Knox News reports. The program funds study abroad scholarships for Chinese college students. UT Provost John Zomchick sent a letter of termination July 10, ending an agreement the institutions signed in 2024. UT said the agreement was not an “enforceable legal document.” In a July 8 letter, the committee called the program a tool for advancing China’s military and scientific goals. The university is now assessing the decision's impact on three students enrolled in the program. Six other U.S. universities received similar warnings. The University of North Texas previously ended its partnership with the group in 2020.