U.S. students end study in Hong Kong early amid protests

Rioters block the traffic in Central District of China's Hong Kong, Nov. 12, 2019. [Photo: Xinhua]

More than a dozen students on study programs at City University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong are preparing to leave the city, as the clashes between protesters and police continue to escalate.

At least 12 universities in the United States are suspending their study abroad programs in Hong Kong, NBC reports. "Given the high degree of uncertainty, we believe that our students' best interest is served by leaving Hong Kong," Kent Syverud, a chancellor at Syracuse University, said in a statement.

It is also been reported that the University of California Education Abroad Program, which serves students from all 10 schools at the university, will suspend its spring 2020 program.

The ongoing violence in Hong Kong has severely disrupted life on campus. Several universities have been forced to cancel classes and other academic activities. And the University of Hong Kong has announced that it is cancelling its degree congregation ceremonies scheduled for November and December.