Out of fear, Ben Mendel had booked a flight back to PNG through the Philippines but found it had been cancelled when he arrived at the airport.
"Because of the virus, I tried to go back to PNG to stay with my parents and once the situation here is a little bit okay, I planned to come back," Mr Mendel said.
"Unfortunately that didn't eventuate because of the flight ban in Manila."
Promised only a 45 percent refund by the airline, the first year student returned to his school, the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law.