Data shows that the number of international students has been on the decline in the last three years. The numbers declined by 3% between 2015-16 and 2016-17, by 7% between 2016-17 and 2017-18, and by 1% between 2017-18 and 2018-2019.
New data has shown that the number of international students coming to the US has declined by 10 percent since 2015 according to a new report. The number of students admitted fell from 300,743 in 2015-16 to 269,383 in the academic year 2018-19.
Australia and Canada, however, international students being admitted have skyrocketed. These show a shift of these students opting to go to these countries rather than come to the US. Experts have indicated that this shift might have been caused by the current immigration rules being imposed by the Trump administration.
The decline of international students in the US
This is the third year in a row that the US has experienced a decline in international student admissions. The numbers declined by 3% between 2015-16 and 2016-17, by 7% between 2016-17 and 2017-18, and by 1% between 2017-18 and 2018-2019. Experts have also stated that this decline is expected to continue in the 2019-20 academic year.
The decline in the US market which resulted from the policy that banned all Chinese students from accessing some science programs from the Trump administration has apparently dramatically helped Australia.
Australia and Canada benefit from the US loss
During the same duration, Australia has seen a rise of up to 47 percent in the number of international students. The number of Chinese students has contributed significantly to this rise, where they make the majority of international students.
Canada has also seen a fair rise in the number of internal students admitted to their universities. In 2017, the number of international students in Canada increased by 20 percent and in 2018 by 16 percent. The number is also projected to keep on growing.
Fear remains among the international students currently coming to the US because of the rapidly changing foreign policies. Many students are still on edge as they can be deported at any time.
While universities in the US consider the decline as “not as bad as anticipated”, it shows that US universities compete with other countries such as Canada and Australia.
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