Student Union
US Universities Brace for Big Decline in International Students
Universities preparing for big declines in international enrollment and revenues will be further depressed by a federal decision to strip students of their visa status if they do not attend college and university in person this fall.
“Active students currently in the United States enrolled in such programs must depart the country or take other measures, such as transferring to a school with in-person instruction, to remain in lawful status,” stated the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in a release Monday.
“If not, they may face immigration consequences including, but not limited to, the initiation of removal proceedings.”
“Today’s guidance ... is harmful to international students and puts their health and well-being and that of the entire higher education community at risk,” stated Esther Brimmer, executive director and CEO of NAFSA: Association of International Educators.
“The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States remains unpredictable, and institutions should be trusted and be given the authority to make decisions that are right for their campuses based on their local circumstances,” Brimmer said in a statement.
“This is terrifying,” tweeted Aaron Kirkpatrick from Northern Ireland, a Ph.D. candidate at Baylor University in Texas. “I couldn’t go home to renew the F1 because embassies are shut due to the pandemic. If I’m made to leave, I’ll likely not be allowed reentry again.”
In May, a report from the Institute of International Education (IIE) showed that 88% of nearly 600 respondent institutions anticipate international student enrollment decreasing in the 2020-2021 academic year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Seventy percent of those institutions said they anticipate that some international students will not return to their campus in person in fall 2020. Three-quarters are giving students the option to defer in-person enrollment to later in the fall or spring 2021.
And while many colleges and universities are scrambling to devise a strategy that will bring students back to school while keeping them safe and healthy, half indicated they plan to offer students online enrollment in the fall.
If ICE enforces their statement, those students will have to withdraw.
“The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will still provide flexibility to schools and nonimmigrant students,” the U.S Student and Exchange Program stated in a follow-up release from ICE. “But as many institutions across the country reopen, DHS must resume the carefully balanced protections implemented by federal regulations.”
Fear of COVID-19
The American Council on Education (ACE) estimates that enrollment will drop 15% for the next academic year, including a projected decline of 25% for international students.
Soo Hyun Kim, a South Korean international student at George Mason University, says he plans to take courses fully online from South Korea because there are still potential dangers of the coronavirus and because he feels he will not be able to experience U.S. life to the full extent.
“Some reasons as to why international students go to U.S. universities is because they want to experience American education, culture and social life,” he told VOA.
“My parents are afraid because the cases are still growing, but they understand that the college is making an effort to have a better and safe environment,” said Vitor Lacerda Siqueira, a Brazilian international student at Stetson University in Florida. The physics major said he plans to return to campus this fall.
“As I have laboratory classes and choir, the education I get from an online format is not the best I can have,” the incoming sophomore said. “Also, the bad connection I have at home makes it hard for me to access the content. I would prefer to request a leave of absence than having online classes again.”
Plummeting revenues
The anticipated decline in foreign students is also expected to have a huge financial toll on U.S. higher education.
International students comprise 5% of higher education enrollment in the United States, according to a study done by the Brookings Institution, and revenue from tuition and fees totals $2.5 billion. This price tag is so high for a few reasons: At U.S. public universities, international students pay nonresident tuition rates.
Additionally, those coming from outside of the U.S. for higher education opportunities receive less financial aid than domestic students.
A NAFSA survey indicated that the coronavirus may cost the United States $3 billion in fall 2020 because of declines in international student enrollment from COVID-19.
The decline, according to the ACE, is expected to be a revenue loss of $23 billion for institutions.
“COVID-19 puts higher-ed finances at risk. For some universities, revenue shortfalls are going to be a pain. For other universities, the shortfall may be a disaster,” wrote Dick Startz, professor of economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara in an analysis report on Brookings’ Brown Center Chalkboard.
“First, nearly every school is at least at some risk of significant financial losses. Second, the risks are incredibly different at different schools. Many schools face difficulties. If things turn out really bad, some schools face closures.”
Visa restrictions
Education experts say recent H1-B visa restrictions will also deter more foreign students from seeking an international education in the United States, and international students have been a revenue stream for many colleges and universities.
H1-B, J and other temporary work visas were suspended until the end of this year by the Trump administration. More than 188,000 H1-B visas and over 350,000 J-1 visas were issued in the United States for fiscal year 2019.
While the halt impacts new applicants and not existing visa holders, the combination of the latest policy issued by ICE for the fall semester and the earlier H1-B edict will decrease attendance by foreign students drastically.
Visa restrictions have also been placed on Chinese students who use the Optional Practical Training program, which allows international students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields the opportunity to “work for a U.S. employer” for three years, and for students in non-STEM fields, one year, while “staying on their student visas.”
Participation in OPT has surged in recent years, as in 2017, when “a record 276,500 foreign graduates received work permits under the OPT program, up from 257,100 in 2016,” according to the Pew Research Center.
International universities see declines
Universities outside of the United States are also expected to see massive monetary losses because of decreases in international students trying to avoid travel and COVID-19.
London Economics released a report on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on university finances in April and stated that Britain would see a reduction of approximately 14,000 students for the upcoming academic year.
Canada, which has been more attractive to some international students than the U.S. because of its easier immigration pathway, is also expecting the number of international students to decline because of the pandemic.
The Royal Bank of Canada reported in a study last month that new international student permits dropped by 45% this March and stated travel restrictions and visa-processing delays would likely slow international student arrivals in the future.
A report from the Australian Population Research Institute said thousands of student visa holders are likely to defer or delay their studies in Australia, limiting overseas student revenue for Australian universities.
The international education sector contributed $39 billion to the Australian economy in 2019, according to Universities Australia, a higher education advocacy group.
The continual growth of international students studying in the United States contributed $41 billion and supported 458,290 jobs to the U.S. economy during the 2018-2019 academic year, according to NAFSA.
The United States hit an all-time high of 1,095,299 international students, mostly from China, in 2019, according to the Institute of International Education. But the rate of growth showed flattening for two years prior.
"With a global competition for talent, we must ensure that students feel safe and can attain the best education and experience possible here in the United States. Unfortunately, this administration continues to enact policies which only increase the barriers to studying here, and that’s a serious concern,” Brimmer of NAFSA stated.
“At a time when new international student enrollment is in decline, our nation risks losing global talent with new policies that hurt us academically and economically.”
See all News Updates of the Day
Malaysian official: Schools can’t turn away from global tensions
Zambry Abdul Kadir, Malaysia’s higher education minister, said protests spreading across universities in the United States show that schools can’t ignore political tensions.
Helen Packer, reporting in Times Higher Education, said the minister reminded educators that universities are key in the development of leaders, individuals and societies. (April 2024)
Social media breaks are difficult, but necessary
Between online classes, maintaining social connections and working on projects, college students can have a hard time disengaging from the demands of technology.
In Florida International University’s PantherNOW, Ariana Rodriguez offers strategies for taking a break from social media. (April 2024)
- By Melos Ambaye
Many master's degrees aren't worth the investment, research shows
Nearly half of master's degrees have a negative financial return, according to new research by the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, an economic research organization.
The study indicates that many graduate degree programs do not increase lifetime earnings enough to be worth it.
While 23% of bachelor’s degree programs yield a negative financial return on investment, 43% of two-year degrees and master’s degrees fail to deliver a return, according to the study by Preston Cooper, a senior fellow at FREOPP.
Cooper assessed the return on investment for 53,000 degree and certificate programs to determine whether a student’s lifetime earnings outweigh program costs and the risk of not completing their degree.
His findings show that a student’s field of study was the overriding indicator of return on investment at the undergraduate and graduate level.
Engineering, computer science and nursing bachelor’s degrees have high financial returns on investment, while programs in education, fine arts, psychology and English usually have low returns.
Graduate degrees in medicine and law tend to have strong payoffs. But a large share of master’s programs, including the MBA, frequently have low payoffs, according to Cooper.
Although workers with master’s degrees earn 16% more than those with only bachelor’s degrees, Cooper says the figure fails to account for students who had “higher preexisting earnings potential.”
“MBA students typically have high preexisting earnings potential, having often chosen high-ROI undergraduate majors such as finance and economics,” Cooper writes. “So the MBA adds little value on top of that.”
The study indicates that high starting salaries are predictors of high returns on investment. Degrees with starting salaries of $57,000 a year or more deliver the best lifetime returns.
But the return on investment of a degree can vary depending on the educational institution.
“Students interested in fields with low average pay can still find some schools that do well transforming those fields of study into high-paying careers,” Cooper writes.
The quality of an institution also matters, said William Tierney, professor emeritus of higher education at the University of Southern California.
“An MBA from Harvard is a likely ticket to a good job,” Tierney told VOA. “An MBA from the University of Phoenix, less so.”
But students pursue graduate programs for more than just financial reasons.
“Some degrees open up careers in fields that students may enjoy, such as in the performing arts,” Robert Kelchen, head of educational leadership at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, told VOA.
“Others can help gain access to social networks or simply help students learn about a topic that is of interest,” Kelchen added.
Cooper told VOA that it might make sense for students in degree programs with low returns on investment to switch majors if they can still graduate on time.
He found the worst outcome for a student’s return on investment is dropping out of college “because they must pay for one or more years’ tuition and spend time out of the labor force.”
Lawmakers who fund higher education have a responsibility in ensuring “higher education delivers on its promise of economic mobility,” Cooper said.
Nearly a third of federal funding, including Pell grants and student loans, pays for higher education programs that fail to provide students with a return on investment, according to the study.
Cooper’s view is that “some schools should shut down low-ROI programs and reallocate institutional resources to programs with a better return.”
“There's definitely this narrative out there that higher education is always worth it, and you should always try to get that extra degree because it will increase your earnings,” he told VOA. “That's reinforced by colleges who make lofty promises regarding their graduate degree programs' outcomes, which all too often fall short.”
Harvard students end protest as school agrees to discuss Gaza conflict
Protesters against the war between Israel and Hamas were voluntarily taking down their tents in Harvard Yard on Tuesday after university officials agreed to discuss their questions about the endowment, bringing a peaceful end to the kinds of demonstrations that were broken up by police on other campuses.
The student protest group Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine said in a statement that the encampment "outlasted its utility with respect to our demands." Meanwhile, Harvard University interim President Alan Garber agreed to pursue a meeting between protesters and university officials regarding the students' questions.
Students at many college campuses this spring set up similar encampments, calling for their schools to cut ties with Israel and businesses that support it.
The Israel-Hamas war began when Hamas and other militants stormed into southern Israel on October 7, killing some 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages. Palestinian militants still hold about 100 captives, and Israel's military has killed more than 35,000 people in Gaza, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Harvard said its president and the dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Hopi Hoekstra, will meet with the protesters to discuss the conflict in the Middle East.
The protesters said they worked out an agreement to meet with university officials, including the Harvard Management Company, which oversees the world's largest academic endowment, valued at about $50 billion.
The protesters' statement said the students will set an agenda that includes discussions on disclosure, divestment, reinvestment and the creation of a Center for Palestine Studies. The students also said that Harvard has offered to retract suspensions of more than 20 students and student workers and back down on disciplinary measures faced by 60 more.
"Since its establishment three weeks ago, the encampment has both broadened and deepened Palestine solidarity organizing on campus," a spokesperson for the protesters said. "It has moved the needle on disclosure and divestment at Harvard."
Chinese students report interrogations, deportations at US airports
Academics from China are reporting increased scrutiny at U.S. airports, with valid visa holders being interrogated and turned away by Customs and Border Protection Agents.
Phones and laptops have been searched, and researchers have undergone extensive questioning about their work. One graduate student at Yale, who was midway through her PhD, was turned back at Dulles airport and banned from entering the U.S. for five years, according to The Guardian.
