Some Miami Valley colleges and universities are reporting a significant drop in international-student applications this year. The decline is part of a trend reflected in a recent Institute of International Education survey, which found nearly 40 percent of schools across the United States are experiencing similar declines.
International applications are down 40 percent at the University of Dayton. Wright State University has seen a nearly 50 percent drop in international applications for the fall semester, says Michelle Streeter-Ferrari, director of the Center for International Education at Wright State.
While it’s common for some universities to experience a drop in foreign students during election years, she says, the current decline in applications may be linked to President Donald Trump’s anti-immigration campaign promises.
“The difference this time is some of the rhetoric that the world heard during this national election," she says. "Certainly international students and their parents were listening closely.”
Streeter-Ferrari says more international students this year are turning away from United States schools in favor of countries such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
International students generate hundreds of millions of dollars in tuition for U.S. colleges and universities each year.
In Ohio alone, these students generate more than $1 billion. That’s because international students are not typically eligible for federal aid and pay full price for tuition.
