There is no "money" way to go to college, blame Trump's tightening immigration policy

There is no "money" way to go to college, blame Trump's tightening immigration policy. NBA star "Little Emperor" James is an alumnus of Akron University. He helps his alma mater to speak for his country and wants to improve the mainland...

NBA star "Little Emperor" James is an alumnus of Ekron University. He helped his alma mater speak for himself in an attempt to increase the number of overseas students from mainland China, but his hopes failed. Reuters

The number of international students in the United States has dropped sharply since 2016, partly due to the efforts of English-speaking countries such as Canada and Australia to recruit international students. The New York Times reported that U.S. President Trump’s tightening of immigration policies after taking office has also made the United States a fearful destination for some foreign students. These policies include stricter visa review, indefinite restrictions on the entry of people from certain countries, and difficulties for international students to stay in the United States after graduation.

The U.S. government states that the new immigration policy is a necessary measure to safeguard national security, but some American universities have become casualties under the new policy. Moody's, an international credit rating agency, last month downgraded the credit rating of U.S. higher education from "stable" to "negative" after the university's income from international students decreased, which means that the cost of borrowing by universities will increase. Moody's also pointed out that the U.S. immigration policy not only affects the recruitment of international students by prestigious public and private colleges and universities, but also second-tier universities are the biggest victims. Moody's hit the nail on the head. In order to avoid becoming unsustainable, second-tier universities have begun cutting budgets and reducing personnel.

For many years, American universities have bet their "financial prospects" on the continued growth of international students. This was even more true after the recession began in the United States ten years ago. International students have become the university's lifeline and the source of finance for the construction of all new buildings and facilities.

Some universities said that after Trump came to power, relevant rhetoric and restrictive views on immigration have reduced the charm of the United States among international students. Applying to American universities has become a gamble in the eyes of international students.

U.S. officials pointed out that the increase in competition among universities in other countries, the reduction of scholarship programs for international students in Saudi Arabia and Brazil, and the currency crisis in India, in which the Indian government abolished 80% of banknotes on the market overnight and withdrew high-denomination banknotes, are all reasons for the decrease in international students in the United States.

According to surveys, the number of international students studying in the United States has declined in many countries, including mainland China and India, which are also the two major sources of international students in the United States.

Akron University in Ohio is trying every possible means to attract international students. Six months ago, the school opened a new international center and hired ten people to promote international programs. Wilson, director of the center, said that students from India have reported that it is more difficult to apply for visas to the United States. He pointed out that visa difficulties are one of the reasons why the school has reduced the number of international students by about 200.

In terms of marketing, Ecron University brought out their outstanding alumnus, the NBA Cavaliers' top star "Little Emperor" James, to help out, hoping to use his popularity in mainland China to increase the number of international students, but unfortunately so far the hope has failed.