Yes, foreign students have to be more determined than ever. They need to allow more time for the vetting of their visa requests, and rejections are more common than before. But no, the number of foreign students enrolled in American universities hasn’t gone down yet, although some schools are reporting a drop in applicants. While there’s been a decline in students from the Middle East, Asian students now make up 51 percent of foreign enrollment, with Indians leading the pack, followed by those from China and South Korea. “It’s a better education,” says NYU senior Carmen Ho, who is from Hong Kong.
Graduate students are particularly attracted to the research opportunities. The benefits flow both ways. American schools are proud that they attract the best minds from around the world. Foreign students also pump an estimated $12 billion a year into the economy: another reason to keep ’em coming.
