Foreign student enrollment rebounds in U.S.

Enrollment of international students in U.S. universities could be showing the first signs of recovery after years of weakness following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, as the government refined the visa application process and schools try to get ahead in the global competition for foreign talent.

In the 2005-2006 school year, 564,766 international students attended accredited U.S. higher education institutions, according to the most recent report by the Institute of International Education, a nonprofit partly funded by the federal government to track student mobility in and out of U.S. borders.

The number was flat compared to the year before, but it marked the end of a two-year decline first seen in 2003, which raised alarms within academic circles and among education officials.

Because most international students spend years in their programs, the total enrollment number moves slower than the new enrollment number, which was up 8 percent in the fall of 2005.

"The dramatic decline after Sept. 11 seems to have been redressed by efforts from the government and schools," said Debra Stewart, president of the Council of Graduate Schools, an organization of graduate school deans.

A more recent IIE online survey shows the recovery holding up. In the 2006-2007 school year, 52 percent of U.S. campuses reported increases in new international enrollments, and only 20 percent reported declines.

International students, especially at the graduate level, are considered an important brainpower infusion to the United States. In certain fields like engineering and physical sciences, foreign students account for more than 40 percent of total students at the graduate level, according to CGS.

"There is not a strong domestic pipeline in those disciplines,” said Catharine Stimpson, dean of New York University's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. “The U.S. has a strong dependence on international talents.”

NYU has constantly ranked among top five U.S. schools with the largest international student population, with the biggest number of students coming from Asian countries and studying sciences.

Though the reasons behind the international enrollment fluctuation are still been debated, the ups and downs of new enrollment coincide with the total number of the student visas issued by the U.S. government.

The 8 percent increase in 2005 new enrollment reflects an 8 percent increase in student visas issued the same year. In contrast, student visas dropped 20 percent in 2002 from the year before and remained at that level for the next two years. Total enrollment of foreign students declined in 2003 for the first time in two decades, down 2.4 percent, and lost another 1.3 percent in 2004.

As part of homeland security efforts, all student visa applicants were required to participate in an interview at local U.S. consulates. A Student and Exchange Visitor Information System was also introduced to keep better track of foreign student mobility. But the high volume of applications and new procedures caused a long backlog at many locations. In the first years of the program, the times for scheduling interviews at some locations could be unpredictable.

At the same time, international competition for the world’s top minds intensified, with other English-speaking countries launching government-led programs to promote their education systems to foreign students. Cheaper tuition and living expenses, together with a better chance to stay for work after school, presented an attractive mix to international students.

Countries that traditionally accounted for a large number of those students, such as India and China, also invested heavily in their own education systems. In particular, the countries expanded their graduate programs to retain their top minds at home.

International applications to U.S. graduate programs were down 28 percent in 2004, and another 5 percent in 2005, according to a separate study by CGS.

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