The number of international students enrolling at American universities has dropped, according to a survey of more than 2,000 institutions. The “Open Doors” survey found that nearly half of the universities surveyed saw a decrease in student enrollment in fall 2016.
The survey also asked nearly 500 colleges and universities about their international enrollment numbers for fall 2017 and reported an average decline of 7 percent. Based on survey responses, the leading causes of lower international enrollment rates are the visa application process or visa denials and delays, social and political environment in the U.S., tuition costs and fees, and competition from international universities.
During the 2016-2017 school year, about half of all international students in the U.S. were from China and India, studying engineering, business and management, and math and computer science. The survey also looked at the number of American students studying abroad, noting a 3.4 percent increase since 2015. During the 2015-2016 school year, the majority of American students who studied abroad traveled to the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe.
