More Foreign College Students Going Overseas; Fewer Pick U.S.
By Paul Basken
Oct. 16 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. universities are attracting a declining share of foreign students, at a time when overseas enrollments are soaring, according to a report by the largest U.S. college association.
Foreign student enrollment at U.S. colleges fell to 565,039 in the 2004-05 school year, after peaking at 586,323 in 2002-03, the American Council on Education reported. At the same time, there were 2.5 million foreign students worldwide in 2004, up 56 percent from 1999, with 7.2 million expected for 2025, ACE said.
The report follows two last month that warned U.S. colleges are recovering from tougher terrorist-related restrictions on U.S. visas only to find countries such as China and India are making greater efforts to compete for students seen as critical to their economies.
``Students, who in the past may have come to the United States to study, are now going elsewhere,'' said Madeleine Green, vice president for international initiatives at ACE, which represents more than 1,600 U.S. college and university presidents.
The 30-nation Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development reported last month that the U.S. is facing growing competition at the college level, though it still remains the world's leader.
The U.S. attracts about 22 percent of all college students enrolled in a country other than their own, the highest percentage, the Paris-based OECD said. The figure, for 2004, was down from 25 percent in 2000, as countries such as China, Japan and South Korea have been building up their own universities, it said.
Competition Grows
``Other markets are just developing well,'' said Barbara Ischinger, the OECD's director for education. ``There is rising competition.''
The Council of Graduate Schools last month reported better enrollment figures among its member institutions, as the U.S. eased visa-related restrictions, while also acknowledging the effects of tougher competition.
Enrollment among new international students increased 4 percent last year, the first increase in four years, the council reported. The numbers are critical to U.S. economic competitiveness, because 40 percent of foreign graduate students study either engineering or physical sciences, while only 10 percent of U.S. students are enrolled in those fields, it said.
U.S. graduate schools also face tougher competition from countries that are building and expanding their own universities in a bid to keep their scientific expertise at home, said Debra Stewart, president of the council, which represents more than 470 universities in the U.S. and Canada.
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