U.S. Universities at Risk of Losing $1 Billion in Revenue from Declining International Enrollment
U.S. higher education institutions could collectively lose approximately $1 billion in tuition revenue from new international students who are deterred by the Trump administration's immigration policies, according to a recent Financial Times (FT) story. The newspaper's analysis of data from the National Center for Education Statistics identifies 162 colleges and universities as particularly at risk, given that their substantial international student populations represent at least 15 percent of their total enrollment.
FT cites a data point from a recent NAFSA survey, which was reported in NAFSA.news last week: The data show that almost three quarters of surveyed institutions expect decreased international student numbers this year, with most anticipating reductions of at least 10 percent.
Estimates from Shorelight Analytics, an educational consultancy, find that incoming international students annually generate $8.6 billion in tuition fees. A 10 percent decline across all current international students would create a $3 billion revenue impact, based on the FT's calculations using federal enrollment and tuition data.
