U.S. universities have seen a decline in international student enrollment in recent years. A recent analysis shows that immigration debate and visa issues may have urged some to remove American universities from their study destination choices.
The analysis noted the possible impact of the continuing dip in international student enrollment to Texas and the entire nation.
Key Takeaways:
- International student enrollment in the United States declined by 1.8 percent from the 2019 to 2020 academic year.
- Visa issues, competition with other study destinations, and the immigration debate may be encouraging some international students not to choose American universities.
- The decline will impact Texas colleges culturally and economically as well as the whole nation.
Compared with the previous school year, the number of international students nationwide from 2019 to 2020 declined by 1.8 percent.
The diminishing figures can be attributed to factors such as the growing competition among other study abroad destinations like Australia and Canada, a highly polarized debate around immigration, additional visa restrictions for dependents, and the uncertainty of getting a work visa in the United States after graduation.
Despite the openness of both public and private universities in the United States to international students, the decline remains steady.
As mentioned, Texas is heavily impacted by such a decline, with losing international students becoming a big challenge for Texas colleges both culturally and economically.
As universities gradually come out of the pandemic-imposed restrictions, they worry about the enrollment decline’s impact not only on the economy of institutions but also on the business landscape made up of the student body.
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