Internationalization has become a substantial part of higher education worldwide, especially in the U.S. Moreover, Chinese students make up the largest portion of the U.S.'s international higher education students. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a disruption in higher education, especially posing considerable challenges to international students. Given the emphasis of international higher education in the U.S. and the prominence of Chinese international students in this country, as well as the sparsity of research outside large cities, this study sought to examine particular challenges posed to Chinese international students studying at universities in smaller cities in the U.S. Results indicate that this group of students experienced a myriad of hardships and challenges during the pandemic. Understanding these effects can inform international higher education programs perhaps worldwide, ultimately improving such programs to better manage crises, but also to improve normal practice. [For the full proceedings, see ED628982.]