Nonselective colleges bore the brunt of international-student declines last fall, according to a paper shared with The Chronicle’s Karin Fischer by Chris R. Glass, a professor of education leadership and higher education at Boston College. Those are institutions that accept half or more of their applicants.
- The less selectivity, the sharper the drop. A 10-point higher acceptance rate was correlated with a 3.3-percent decline in international enrollment.
Brace for the trend to carry over next fall. International Common App applications to the most selective American colleges were stable through March 1. Applications to the least-selective colleges fell by almost 20 percent.
This looks like a flight to perceived quality. Current and prospective international students lost faith in U.S. visa policies and see the country as less welcoming, according to polling by IDP Education.
- It could very well undermine colleges that banked on the brand of American education to attract students. But the likes of Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, and MIT enjoy their own global recognition.
The bigger picture: The Daily Briefing tracks international enrollment because high-paying students from abroad can make or break institutional budgets. Declines at less-selective institutions, which also tend to have tighter budgets, “could mean trouble for colleges the least able to absorb enrollment or tuition shock,” Karin writes.
