New overseas student enrollment slumps in US

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The number of new international students enrolling in United States universities declined last year for the first time in years, a latest report has said.

In its Open Doors report, the New York-based Institute of International Education (IIE) cited the scaling back of large Saudi Arabia and Brazil government scholarship programs as a significant factor behind the slump.

“The number of new international students – those enrolled at a US institution for the first time in fall 2016, declined by nearly 10,000 students to about 291,000, a three percent decrease from the previous year," the report said.

IIE said it was the first time that the numbers have declined in the 12 years that Open Doors has reported new enrollments.

China and India top the list of countries sending students to the US.

Brazilian students witnessed the most substantial drop of 32.4 percent in the enrollment rate from 52,611 in the academic year 2015-16 to 13,089 in 2016-17.

In 2015-16, nearly 61,287 Saudi students enrolled in American universities, but in 2016-2017 the number declined to 52,611, a sharp fall of 14.2 percent.

Students of Al-Imam University, Saudi Arabia, with faculty members of the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, Tucson campus. /University of Arizona‍

Before 2005, barely 5,000 Saudis were studying in the US, the number having dwindled sharply after 9/11 attacks.

But an agreement between former president George W. Bush and King Abdullah boosted educational and cultural programs between the two countries.

Moreover, a generous King Abdullah Scholarship Program spiked enrollment of Saudi students for higher education in the US. By 2014, over 207,000 Saudi students and their dependents were in the US to pursue higher education.

The high enrollment rate resulted in the Saudi government spending around 6 billion US dollars (22.5 billion riyals) on the scholarships. However, the government set up new criteria for the scholarship in 2016 allowing admission in only the top 100 universities, leading to a sharp downsizing of Saudi students studying in the US.

Experts feel declining oil prices are also a driving factor behind the decline.

The IIE report also pointed out that students from Iran, the 11th leading place of origin, increased by 3 percent to 12,643, still significantly lower than the peak of more than 50,000 Iranian students in the United States in 1979/80. From 1974-75 to 1982-83, Iran was the top sender of international students to the US.

Students from China and India dominate US universities

Students from the top two countries of origin – China, and India – now represent about 50 percent of the total enrollment of international students in the United States. Despite a decrease of 3.8 percent, South Korea moved up to the third leading place of origin, after dropping to fourth place the previous year.

Chinese students constitute nearly 32.5 percent, registering a growth of 6.8 percent. There were 328,547 Chinese students enrolled in universities in the US last year, with the number rising to 350,755 this year.

Indian students participate in a cultural event at University of Kansas. /KU-AIS

Indian students comprise 17.3 percent of the total, increasing to 186,267 compared to 165,918 last year.

The IIE’s new findings signal a slowing of growth in enrollment rate of international students, with a three percent rise compared to increases of 7 to 10 percent for the previous three years.

Much of the increase reported for the past couple of years can be attributed to more students pursuing optional practical training (OPT) related to their academic fields after their degree studies, and thus remaining longer in the US higher education system.

“These flattening trends have a nearly two-year history, as students reflected in the current Open Doors report were already on campus in September 2016 for the fall term, and most had applied in 2015 and made their decisions in spring 2016,” IIE said.

However, students from Nepal are enrolling in large numbers in US universities. The number of Nepali students has increased from 9,662 to 11,607 in the last year, registering the highest percentage jump of 20 percent among international students.