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New international student enrollment declined amid the pandemic. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Sean Rayford/Getty Images
The number of international students enrolling in U.S. colleges declined dramatically this fall, which could put colleges’ already tenuous budgets at risk.
The total number of international students enrolled in the U.S. declined by 16%, according to the Institute of International Education’s annual Open Doors report, released Monday. The drop was driven primarily by a 43% decline in the number of new students studying at U.S. institutions, according to the organization, which researches and promotes international study.
The findings come after months of challenges facing international students interested in studying in the U.S. amid a global pandemic that’s both stunted transcontinental travel and transformed the experience of being in college.
“While not surprising, it is disheartening,” Miriam Feldblum said of the decline. As the executive director of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, Feldblum leads a coalition of university officials focused on immigration policies’ impact on higher education.
Embassies and consulates — where international students would normally go for their visa interviews — closed in the wake of the pandemic and in some cases were slow to get back to processing visa applications for international students, she said. In addition, the nation’s inability to get the virus under control may have had parents of international students concerned about their health and safety.
An announcement this summer from the Trump administration’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency that international students wouldn’t be allowed to remain in the U.S. if their coursework was all online also likely contributed to the decline in enrollment. Though the guidance was later rescinded, the initial announcement “created uncertainty for international students,” Feldblum said.
And while current international students were allowed to stay in the U.S. regardless of the format of their courses, new international students are still banned from coming to the country if all of their courses are online.
These pandemic-specific obstacles were all taking place amid “unwelcoming rhetoric” for international students, Feldblum said. For example, the Trump administration has increased scrutiny on Chinese students and scholars studying in the U.S., accusing them of spying or stealing intellectual property.
This year’s enrollment drop, which comes after years of smaller, previous declines, will likely exacerbate the financial challenges colleges are facing during the pandemic. Schools rely on tuition, housing, and dining for revenue — sources that in many cases have dried up as a result of the current environment. In addition, public higher education institutions are likely to face funding cuts from state lawmakers.
International students contribute $38.7 billion to the U.S. economy, according to an analysis by NAFSA: Association of International Educators . In addition to the role international students can play in bringing a wide array of perspectives to campus, colleges have historically relied on these students as a source of funds. For example, research indicates that when public colleges have seen a drop in state funding, they’ve increased their enrollment of international students.
Feldblum said she’s confident that if policymakers and higher education leaders roll back some of the obstacles and deterrents to international students coming to study in the U.S. and also provide more proactive support to these students then we could see enrollment trends reverse.
Still, she said, “this is not happening in a vacuum.”
“Other countries have also advanced their national recruitment and retention strategies for international students. It’s not as simple as just reverting back to where we were prior to the current administration, we’re going to have to do more to demonstrate our commitment and our welcome to global talent.”
