Analysis of Shandong Province’s International Student Scholarship Investment (2019-2023)

Shandong province experienced a dramatic decline in investment in scholarships for foreign students during 2019-2023. The total amount of scholarships reached its peak in 2019, but due to factors such as the pandemic, the funding significantly decreased in the following years. This study analyzes the data on scholarship funding for foreign students published by the Shandong Provincial Department of Education from 2019 to 2023. It further examines the distribution of scholarships across different regions and institutions, revealing issues such as reduced funding and unequal distribution in the implementation of the scholarship policy. The research results indicate that resources are primarily concentrated in developed cities such as Jinan and Qingdao, as well as in general undergraduate institutions, while economically underdeveloped areas and vocational colleges receive relatively weak support. Based on this situation, this study proposes recommendations to optimize the scholarship distribution mechanism in order to promote balanced development in the internationalization of education in Shandong Province.