The number of students studying in the United States has dropped for the first time in 12 years. Why is studying in the United States not so beautiful?

The number of students studying in the United States dropped for the first time in 12 years. Why is studying in the United States not so beautiful? The number of international students studying in the United States for the first time has dropped for the first time in 12 years. Why is studying in the United States not so beautiful...

The number of international students studying in the United States for the first time has dropped for the first time in 12 years

Why studying in the United States is not so beautiful

Our reporter in the United States Zheng Qi

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Recently, the American Institute of International Education released an annual survey report showing that the growth rate of the total number of international students studying in the United States showed signs of slowing down in 2016. The number of international students studying in the United States for the first time in 2016 dropped by nearly 10,000 compared with the previous year. This is the first time in 12 years that this number has declined.

Another survey conducted by the Institute of International Education and nine other education industry associations on 500 American colleges and universities in September and October 2017 showed that the slowdown in the number of international students admitted to U.S. colleges and universities in the 2017-2018 academic year continued to show, and the number of new students enrolled further dropped by 7%.

The number of international students in non-well-known universities has dropped significantly

According to the annual report of the American Institute of International Education, the total number of international students studying in American colleges and universities was approximately 1.08 million in the 2016-2017 academic year, an increase of only 3%. Compared with the 7% to 10% increase in previous years, the growth rate has slowed down significantly.

Dr. Rijekadari, the person in charge of the report survey project and director of the Research Department of the Society of International Education, said in an interview with this reporter that many American universities are currently worried about the declining enthusiasm of international students to study in the United States. Many universities believe that domestic socio-political factors in the United States, such as visa policies and campus security conditions, are affecting international students’ decisions to study.

What intensifies the concerns of the American higher education community is that research shows that the enthusiasm of international students to come to the United States will continue to cool down in the 2017-2018 academic year. In 2017, six American higher education associations jointly conducted a survey covering 250 colleges and universities across the United States to measure the situation of international students applying for admission in the fall of 2017. The results show that 39% of the colleges and universities surveyed said that the number of international student applications has declined, while only 35% of the colleges and universities with an increase in applications, and 26% of the colleges and universities said there has been no significant change. In 2016, international students from China and India accounted for 47% of the total number of international students in the United States. However, the survey showed that 25% of the US universities surveyed said that the number of undergraduate applications from Chinese students dropped in 2017, and 26% of the universities surveyed said that the number of undergraduate applications from Indian students dropped.

Bhandari told reporters that the current situation encountered by different regions and different types of universities is not exactly the same. For example, in universities in the central and western regions and universities in Texas and other states, the "ebbing" trend of international students' enthusiasm is more obvious. At the same time, non-prestigious universities are more worried about the decline in the number of international students. According to reports, the total number of international students enrolled at the University of Iowa in the fall of 2017 was 3,564, while the number of international students enrolled at the school in 2015 was 4,100. In the fall of 2016, there were 2,638 international students enrolled at the University of Central Missouri, but in the fall of 2017 there were only 944.

Political ecology and security conditions affect enthusiasm for studying in the United States

The American higher education community generally believes that the current contentious political ecology and public opinion in the United States have affected the enthusiasm of international students to study in the United States.

Esther Rimmer, CEO of the American Association of International Educators and former Assistant Secretary of State of the U.S. Department of State, believes that international student families have generally noticed a series of news in the United States, such as the U.S. government’s travel ban. International students from countries included on the travel ban list may find themselves unable to re-enter the United States after traveling abroad to attend academic conferences or return home to visit relatives. It is expected that approximately 17,000 students will be directly affected by the ban. A bigger concern for potential international students is that a series of new policies and public discussions reflect changes in the United States' attitude towards international students. In July 2017, it was even reported that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was considering introducing new regulations that would require international students studying in the United States to reapply for visas every year.

Dennis Hanno, president of Wheaton College in the United States, previously wrote an article on the Washington Post website and pointed out that "our political climate is the problem." Taking his own experience as an example, Hanno pointed out that the current turmoil in public opinion in the United States is causing more international students to look elsewhere. Wheaton College launched a scholarship specifically designed for students from war-torn countries in 2017, and will focus on students from countries that have been included in the travel ban. This move aroused widespread support from liberals in the United States, but also caused anger among conservatives, and even many alumni and donors came forward to express their opposition.

The increasingly frequent shooting incidents and hate speech in American society are also believed to have affected the choices of international students. Earlier in 2017, an Indian-American engineer was shot and killed in Kansas City. The main suspect in the case was revealed to have committed the murder out of racial hatred. This matter has attracted widespread attention in India, and the Indian Embassy in the United States even intervened. From the perspective of universities, similar incidents have affected the enthusiasm of Indian students to study in the United States. Portland State University in Oregon saw a 37% drop in applications from Indian students in 2017. After going to the southern Indian city of Hyderabad to meet with several Indian students admitted to the school, Wim Veer, the principal of the school, said that the parents of these students are generally worried about the safety of their children in the United States.

At the same time, competition among universities from various countries is also intensifying in attracting international students. According to NBC News, Canadian universities have become more attractive to international students. The number of international students applying to the University of Toronto has increased by 20%, and the number of international students applying to Wilfried University has increased by 32%. Analysts believe that more students choose the latter between American and Canadian universities because the cost of studying in the latter is lower. Statistics show that the average one-year undergraduate tuition fee for international students studying at public universities in Canada is US$17,264, while in the United States it is US$24,930. In fact, more American students are choosing to study abroad because of cost factors. In 2016, more than 320,000 U.S. students chose to pursue degrees abroad, an increase of 4% from the previous year.

The American education sector is worried about the damage to the openness and competitiveness of universities

Since 2006, the internationalization of higher education in the United States has experienced a golden period, with the number of international students increasing by 85%. Just because they have become accustomed to the rapid growth in previous years, the current declining trend in the enthusiasm of international students to come to the United States has aroused widespread concern in the American higher education community.

There are many economic considerations in this. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, in 2016, international students brought US$39 billion in revenue to the United States, including tuition, accommodation and living expenses. About two-thirds of current international students receive funding for their studies and living expenses from outside the United States. Specific to each university, the economic benefits brought by the enrollment of international students are also obvious. UCLA President Gene Locke admitted not long ago that the high tuition fees paid by students outside California allow the school to have enough funds to provide more educational programs, thereby benefiting all students.

"The U.S.'s ability to attract international students is a barometer of its international role." Rick Ruth, senior adviser to the U.S. State Department, previously said in a public event. Currently, American universities are generally worried about the rise of isolationism in the American political ecology, which will gradually affect the openness and competitiveness of universities. Joseph Nye, a professor at Harvard University, recently wrote in a long article that populism is currently on the rise in American society, and its demands are closer to the historical anti-immigration Know-Nothing Party in the 19th century and the McCarthy and George Wallace versions of populism. Its characteristics are xenophobia and the pursuit of isolation from the outside world.

It has always been generally believed in the American education community that the entry of international students into the United States increases the diversity of campuses and helps create a more innovative academic environment. Feeling that the educational advantages that the United States has always been proud of have been weakened, Alan Goodman, president of the American Institute of International Education, pointed out after the release of the annual report, "The competition among countries for talents is intensifying. It is important for American universities to proactively contact international students, and it is even more crucial for the United States to keep its academic door open."

(Washington, DC)