[DAWN] The number of foreign students heading to United States (US) colleges and universities fell again last year, the second straight decline after more than a decade of growth, a new report finds.Enrolment of new international students dropped by about seven per cent in fall 2017, according to an annual report released on Tuesday by the State Department and the Institute of International Education, a nonprofit research group based in New York.
The overall number of foreign students in the US still increased slightly, by 1.5 per cent, fuelled by growing numbers of students who stayed for temporary work after graduation. But the number of newly arriving students slid to about 271,000, the lowest levels since 2013.
The report's authors cited sharper competition from other countries including Australia and Canada, along with the rising cost of education in the US. They largely dismissed worries among some colleges that the White House's policies and rhetoric surrounding immigration could be driving students away.
"We're not hearing that students feel they can't come here. We're hearing that they have choices," Allan Goodman, president and CEO of the institute, said in a call with news hounds. "For the first time, we have real competition."
But some schools contacted by The News Agency that Dare Not be Named say the political climate in the US has made international students feel unwelcome and has contributed to declining numbers.
| That’s what I’ve heard from foreigners exposed to American academic nonsense. They despise the thought-controlling political correctness so fashionable on campuses nowadays. It’s worse, I’ve heard, than back home. |