International admissions in the United States are declining. What does that mean for you?

There has been new numbers released recently about international admissions into US colleges and everyones seems to me talking about. Here is a breakdown of the situation and what it means for students applying this season. 

What are the numbers? 

The number of newly arriving international students declined an average 7 percent in fall 2017, with 45 percent of campuses reporting drops in new international enrollment, according to a survey of nearly 500 campuses across the country by the Institute of International Education.

Particularly hard hit are campuses in the Midwest, according to the institute. At the University of Iowa, overall international enrollment this fall was 3,564, down from 4,100 in 2015. While Iowa primarily lost Chinese students, the University of Central Missouri experienced a sharp decline this year in students from India. In the fall of 2016, the Warrensburg, Mo., university had 2,638 international students. This fall it has 944.

What are the reasons? 

While most news claims for the decline to be due to increased unsafe situations and the muslim ban, there are a host of different reasons: 

• Increasing competition from Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia
• Reduced scholarships for students from Brazil and Saudi Arabia 
• Greater opportunities of employment post work in other countries

What does this mean for you? 

If safety is your concern, the United States is safe or unsafe as any other country. Therefore there is no way to control for that. The coasts are a lot more liberal and diverse than some central states but for the most part, the country is still open to immigration.

Education in the US is still one the best in the world. If you want a top-notch education, the United States is still the best. However, if you want to move to another country i.e. live after school, Canada and Australia are better options. 

While admissions rates are down, the numbers are still much higher than a decade ago because people are cognizant of the level of education they are getting. 

We hope this helps you understand the situation a little better as you apply for college. Come chat with us if you want us to review your college list!