International students might be a boon for many colleges and universities to offset losses during the coronavirus pandemic, say experts.

“U.S. education is an extremely valuable service export, roughly equivalent to total exports of wheat, corn, coal, and natural gas,” according to the Global Migration Center at the University of California, Davis.

International students contributed 458,290 jobs and $41 billion to the U.S. economy in the 2018-2019 academic year, according to the nonprofit Association of International Educators (NAFSA).

Additionally, when international students pay full rates for college or university, domestic students benefit.

“Full-sticker price tuition revenue from international students helps to provide more subsidies for American students,” the Global Migration Center explained. “International students also help universities buffer against declines in government funding that have occurred for several decades.”

“International students — who are not eligible for financial aid and pay full price tuition — are a critical source of tuition revenues for public and private American universities,” it posted in July on its website.

Mostly from Asia, close to 162,000 international students attended colleges and universities in California last year, adding $6.8 billion of the $41 billion foreign students bring to the U.S. economy.

But colleges and universities are hurting financially as the pandemic has shut down many campuses since March, sending students online and off campus, and causing many to defer admission or transfer until the pandemic subsides.

In April, when the infection continued to shutter campuses nationwide, then-University of California President Janet Napolitano pleaded for funding assistance in a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom.

“I am bringing to your attention these significant, unanticipated costs to UC in many areas from health to student housing, which for March 2020 alone totaled $558 million,” wrote Napolitano.

“As you consider the 2020-2021 State budget, providing funding for UC to cover some of our COVID-19 response costs will help UC provide students the education they were promised, treat our employees with fairness, and provide our communities with compassionate care.”

Smaller, liberal arts colleges have experienced financial challenges for years, and experts have predicted a decline in their number since before COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Illinois, for example, with a student enrollment of 550 students, and 25% ethnic diversity, closed in May 2020 after 174 years of educating students. MacMurray’s board voted unanimously to close the school after determining there was “no viable financial path forward,” said Chairman of the Board of Trustees Charles O'Connell in a press release.

The economic disruption of COVID-19 factored into MacMurray's decline, according to O’Connell.

Considering the financial contributions of international students, U.S. colleges are focusing on recruitment overseas, according to the Institute of International Education’s 2019 Fall International Student Enrollment Snapshot Survey Report.

SEE ALSO:

US Universities Brace for Big Decline in International Students

Colleges are prioritizing student outreach to include China, India and Vietnam, according to IIE. Of the more than 1 million international students in the U.S., half are from China and India.

Among Ivy League admissions for the Class of 2024, international students made up 14% of admitted students at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire and 10% of admissions at Princeton University in New Jersey, according to data from the group International College Counselors.

And while Ivy League — top-rated, prestigious schools that admit only a fraction of applicants — enjoy large endowments (operating budgets), they, too, have made cutbacks in the face of escalating costs and reduced revenue during the pandemic.

SEE ALSO:

Harvard Makes Cutbacks Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

“Faced with an increasingly competitive global higher education environment vying to attract the brightest minds from around the world, institutions across the United States continue to explore and expand ways to build recruitment pipelines and work to create an inclusive environment that reiterates that international students are welcome here,” IIE reported.

But enrollment of international students stalled in the last counting, according to IIE. Reasons include the high cost of tuition and fees, visa barriers, perceived crime in the U.S., political rhetoric and anti-immigrant speech.

SEE ALSO:

Fewer Foreign Students Enrolling in US College and Universities

Among responding colleges and universities, 51% reported a decrease, 42% reported an increase, and 7% indicated the number was the same as last year, in new international student enrollment.

“Unfortunately, due in large part to challenges securing visas and safety concerns related to the pandemic, international student enrollment at Wesleyan [University] decreased by about 15% this semester,” according to Lauren Rubenstein, the director of media relations and public relations at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, in an email to VOA.

“A significant number of our frosh international students postponed their matriculation until the spring term because they were not able to secure visa interview appointments prior to the start of classes this fall.” Frosh is a nickname for freshmen, or first-year students.

Wesleyan is collaborating with “peer institutions” to host a series of virtual events for international students, including virtual admissions workshops, online fairs, and virtual school visits to recruit students for the coming year, according to Rubenstein. International students make up 12% of Wesleyan's student body.

But because of COVID-19 and increased visa and travel restrictions, international student enrollment for Fall 2020 is expected to decline again and further impact funding at institutions, according to NAFSA’s 2020 Financial Impact Survey.

“The loss of $41 billion contributed to local economies by international students each year would also be incredibly damaging to America as it begins to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Mary Sue Coleman, Association of American Universities president in a briefing regarding restrictions on international students in July 2020.

NAFSA estimates that higher education will lose “at least $3 billion” because of declines in international student enrollment for Fall 2020.

Schools say it’s not only through revenue that foreign students contribute to the college or university community.

“International students contribute greatly to Wesleyan and our surrounding community by increasing social, cultural, and linguistic diversity on campus and beyond,” Rubenstein wrote. “This diversity is invaluable to the experience of all students.”

They also “contribute to the intellectual vibrancy and diversity of our campuses,” wrote the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration to the Department of Homeland Security earlier this year, when the coronavirus began to send students home and shut campuses.

“A recognition of these contributions and commitment to continuing to welcome these students in future enrollment cycles are absolutely critical to maintaining our country’s top-tier status in attracting and retaining international students,” the alliance of more than 450 college and university presidents stated.

The administration of President Donald Trump said on Monday it will review Columbia University's federal contracts and grants over allegations of antisemitism, which it says the educational institution has shown inaction in tackling.

Rights advocates note rising antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias since U.S. ally Israel's devastating military assault on Gaza began after Palestinian Hamas militants' deadly October 2023 attack.

The Justice Department said a month ago it formed a task force to fight antisemitism. The U.S. Departments of Health and Education and the General Services Administration jointly made the review announcement on Monday.

"The Federal Government's Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is considering Stop Work Orders for $51.4 million in contracts between Columbia University and the Federal Government," the joint statement said.

The agencies said no contracting actions had been taken yet.

"The task force will also conduct a comprehensive review of the more than $5 billion in federal grant commitments to Columbia University."

The agencies did not respond to requests for comment on whether there were similar reviews over allegations of Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias.

Columbia had no immediate comment. It previously said it made efforts to tackle antisemitism.

College protests

Trump has signed an executive order to combat antisemitism and pledged to deport non-citizen college students and others who took part in pro-Palestinian protests.

Columbia was at the center of college protests in which demonstrators demanded an end to U.S. support for Israel due to the humanitarian crisis caused by Israel's assault on Gaza. There were allegations of antisemitism and Islamophobia in protests and counter-protests.

During last summer's demonstrations around the country, classes were canceled, some university administrators resigned and student protesters were suspended and arrested.

While the intensity of protests has decreased in recent months, there were some demonstrations last week in New York after the expulsion of two students at Columbia University-affiliated Barnard College and after New York Governor Kathy Hochul ordered the removal of a Palestinian studies job listing at Hunter College.

A third student at Barnard College has since been expelled, this one related to the occupation of the Hamilton Hall building at Columbia last year.

The Trump administration is opening new investigations into allegations of antisemitism at five U.S. universities including Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley, the Education Department announced Monday.

It's part of President Donald Trump's promise to take a tougher stance against campus antisemitism and deal out harsher penalties than the Biden administration, which settled a flurry of cases with universities in its final weeks. It comes the same day the Justice Department announced a new task force to root out antisemitism on college campuses.

In an order signed last week, Trump called for aggressive action to fight anti-Jewish bias on campuses, including the deportation of foreign students who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.

Along with Columbia and Berkeley, the department is now investigating the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University and Portland State University. The cases were opened using the department's power to launch its own civil rights reviews, unlike the majority of investigations, which stem from complaints.

Messages seeking comment were left with all five universities.
A statement from the Education Department criticized colleges for tolerating antisemitism after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and a wave of pro-Palestinian protests that followed. It also criticized the Biden administration for negotiating "toothless" resolutions that failed to hold schools accountable.

"Today, the Department is putting universities, colleges, and K-12 schools on notice: this administration will not tolerate continued institutional indifference to the wellbeing of Jewish students on American campuses," said Craig Trainor, the agency's acting assistant secretary for civil rights.

The department didn't provide details about the inquiries or how it decided which schools are being targeted. Presidents of Columbia and Northwestern were among those called to testify on Capitol Hill last year as Republicans sought accountability for allegations of antisemitism. The hearings contributed to the resignation of multiple university presidents, including Columbia's Minouche Shafik.

An October report from House Republicans accused Columbia of failing to punish pro-Palestinian students who took over a campus building, and it called Northwestern's negotiations with student protesters a "stunning capitulation."

House Republicans applauded the new investigations. Representative Tim Walberg, chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, said he was "glad that we finally have an administration who is taking action to protect Jewish students."

Trump's order also calls for a full review of antisemitism complaints filed with the Education Department since Oct. 7, 2023, including pending and resolved cases from the Biden administration. It encourages the Justice Department to take action to enforce civil rights laws.

Last week's order drew backlash from civil rights groups who said it violated First Amendment rights that protect political speech.

The new task force announced Monday includes the Justice and Education departments along with Health and Human Services.

"The Department takes seriously our responsibility to eradicate this hatred wherever it is found," said Leo Terrell, assistant attorney general for civil rights. "The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is the first step in giving life to President Trump's renewed commitment to ending anti-Semitism in our schools."

The Times of India breaks down the most popular subjects for international students to study in the U.S.

STEM and business lead the pack. Read the full story here. (January 2025)

U.S. News & World report addresses some of the misconceptions about U.S. colleges and universities, including the difficulty of getting a visa.

Read the full story here. (January 2025)