Washington: According to a new survey, 40% of US colleges declined the large number of applications for admission from international students as per the concerns and anxieties about the Donald Trump administration’s travel orders and a growing perception that the United States has become less welcoming of foreigners.
“Nearly 40% of US colleges are seeing declines in applications from international students, and international student recruitment professionals report ‘a great deal of concern’ from students and their families about visas and perceptions of a less welcoming climate in the US,” said the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) announcing preliminary findings of a survey of 250 colleges recently.
35% reported an increase, and 26% reported no change in applicant numbers.
The largest drops were reported from India and China, who together made up 47% of the international students in 2016, totalling almost half a million, according to Open Door, a government-funded body that studies and tracks international students and scholars.
The study found that concerns about the current climate in the United States was the highest among applicants from the Middle East (79)%, Asia (36%) and Latin America (34%).
The concerns and worries were chiefly, the survey found, one, “perceptions of a rise in student visa denials at US embassies and consulates in China, India and Nepal”; two, “perception that the climate in the US is now less welcoming to individuals from other countries; three, “concerns that benefits and restrictions around visas could change, especially around the ability to travel, re-entry after travel, and employment opportunities; and fourth, and finally, “concerns that the Executive Order travel ban might expand to include additional countries”.