Study: Foreign Applications to US Colleges Plunge

A recent study found nearly 40 percent of U.S. colleges and universities have seen a drop in applications from foreign students, including many Muslims.

The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) linked the trend, albeit indirectly, to President Donald Trump.

"Over the past year, international educators expressed concern that the political discourse surrounding foreign nationals in the U.S. leading up to the November 2016 U.S. presidential election could be damaging to international student recruitment efforts," a report on the study read.

Some of the key findings:

• 39 percent of the more than 250 institutions said applications from foreign students are down, while 35 percent said the numbers are up.
• 39 percent of the institutions said applications from the Middle East are down for undergraduate (39 percent) and graduate (31 percent) students.
• The amount of undergraduate applications has also decreased from India (26 percent) and China (25 percent).
• 79 percent of the concerns over attending college in the U.S. came from the Middle East.

The survey was conducted in February, and AACRAO stressed the numbers are not yet final.

The New York Times reported on the findings and interviewed students and college officials about the drop in applications.

"I'd say the rhetoric and actual executive orders are definitely having a chilling effect," Portland State University president Wim Wiewel told the paper regarding Trump's Oval Office actions.

Wiewel met with 10 prospective students in India last week.

Another official echoed that statement.

"Our deans describe it as a chilling effect," Council of Graduate Schools president Suzanne Ortega told the Times.

Many have pointed to Trump's travel bans, which have both been struck down by the courts. The latest attempt was scheduled to go into effect Thursday but was temporary halted by a Hawaii judge Wednesday.

"After the collective outcry resulting from the first executive order, we are disappointed that President Trump's administration has continued to pursue this action," National Association for College Admission Counseling president Nancy Beane said.

"For educational institutions in the United States, the negative effects of the ban will extend far beyond 90 days and well beyond the six countries involved."

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