America’s ‘uncertain political climate’ hits international student numbers

The growth rate of Indian students opting for US as a study destination has also halved compared to last year. However, it was at an all-time high for 2016-17

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Dhairya Maheshwari

The number of first-time international students enrolling at US universities this year witnessed a seven per cent decline over the months of September and October, a survey has found.

This is the second straight year when the number of first-time international students enrolling at American universities has seen a year-on-year decline.

The flattening international student numbers in the US are being attributed to visa delays and denials, and uncertain US social and political climate among a host of other factors. The slumping enrolment figures for international students come amid surge in nationalistic sentiment in the US since Donald Trump was elected as President last year.

However, US embassy officials at Delhi told National Herald the perception that the current American administration was cracking down on H1B visa wasn’t entirely accurate.

“The change in immigration rules is a long process that has to go through different levels of scrutiny. It is a long-winded process and so far, the rules are more or less the same as when President Donald Trump came to power last November,” a US official said.

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) last month made the process or renewal of H-1B visas more difficult than it was previously, a move seen as implementation of President Trump’s ‘Buy American, Hire American’ strategy’.

The Fall 2017 International Student Enrolment survey interviewed US institutions that host almost 42 per cent of the international student population.

According to the survey, US institutions have responded to the emerging trends through various means, including issuing statements in support of international students and alerting students about the change in US policies.

Growth rate for Indian students decline

A report on international students issued on Monday jointly by the Institute of International Education (IIE) and Open Doors, backed by the US Department of State, noted that 1,86,267 Indian students were studying at US institutions in 2016-17. On a year-on-year basis, this is a rise of 12.3 per cent. The percentage growth is less than 24.9 and 29.4 per cent witnessed in previous two years.

However, the number of Indian students at American universities stood at an all time high.

Commenting on the decline in growth rate, Deputy Cultural Officer at the US Embassy Karl M Adam reasoned that November-March was usually a lean period for student enrolments at US universities. “Most of the prospective students choose to get enrolled in the fall quarter,” the official said.

According to figures by the US Department of Commerce cited in the Open Doors report, Indian students contributed $6.5 billion to the US economy in 2016-17.

The number of H-1B visas issued to Indian students witnessed a marginal increase of 5.2 per cent year-on-year basis, with 1,26,692 H-1Bs awarded to Indians this year compared to 1,19,952 last year.

India was the second-leading place of origin for foreign students after China. Indian students comprised 17.3 per cent of the total international student population in the US.

Math, Computer Science and engineering remained the top choices of courses for Indian students travelling to the US, with the courses being opted by nearly 70 per cent.

The Open Doors report said that California remained the top receiving state of Indian students in 2016-17, followed by New York.

The report also pointed out that the number of US students in India in 2015-16 was at a five-year low, at 4,181.

“We encourage more inputs from Indian authorities in order to boost the number of American students in India. Obviously, we need more interaction between students of two countries,” Karl M Adam said.

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