NAFSA: Association of International Educators
CONTACT: Vic Johnson 202.737.3699 ext 258

Fall 2004 survey reveals mixed picture on foreign student, scholar flows

NATIONAL STRATEGY NEEDED TO REGAIN U.S. POSITION AS DESTINATION OF CHOICE FOR WORLD'S BEST MINDS
President Bush must take decisive steps to establish policy on international education

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WASHINGTON – With a new survey indicating some positive developments on the issue of student visa delays amid continuing lags in international student enrollments and applications, international educators today called on President Bush to convene a White House conference of government, higher education, and private sector officials as one of the first efforts of his second administration in order to elaborate a national strategy on international education to improve the security and global leadership of the United States

The results of a fall 2004 snapshot survey released today by NAFSA: Association of International Educators, the Association of American Universities, the Council of Graduate Schools, the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, and the Institute of International Education, suggest that visa delays are less widespread this year than last. At the same time, more than half of the doctoral and research institutions that responded to the survey (54.8%) reported a decline in new international graduate enrollments. With respect to new international undergraduate enrollments, roughly the same number of institutions reported decreases as reported increases in enrollments this fall when compared to 2003. However, significant numbers of institutions reported declines in continuing undergraduate enrollments. Problems encountered during the visa process were once again cited among the factors in declines in enrollments, but decreases in applications by international students also appear to continue to be a significant factor. The survey, conducted during the month of October, received 480 responses from a diverse range of higher education institutions across the country. Further survey details are available in the attached materials.

The findings come amid heightened attention among policymakers to the recommendations of the September 11 Commission on the "soft-power" elements of the war on terrorism. Numerous hearings have highlighted the commission's urging that U.S. leaders act quickly to commit equal energy to fighting the "struggle of ideas" as to the military and law enforcement efforts of the war on terrorism: "If we favor one tool while neglecting others, we leave ourselves vulnerable and weaken our national effort." Person-to-person connections across borders – the essence of international education and exchange – were frequently cited as a key component of a comprehensive global strategy to win the war on terrorism.

At the same time, many policy makers, business and higher education leaders, and the medical and scientific communities have sounded the alarm about the potential ramifications of a decline in international talent flows into the United States. International students, as their countries' future leaders, are an important long-term foreign policy asset for the United States. International faculty, scholars, and researchers fuel the nation's leadership in the sciences, technology, and medical research.

There are some encouraging developments to report. Today most of this association's recommendations for addressing problems in the visa processing system are under consideration or being worked on at some level in the agencies charged with visa policy. There are positive indications about the streamlining of the interagency security review process, and stepped-up efforts to improve transparency in the visa process at consulates abroad and expedite interviews for students and exchange visitors. Much more remains to be done, but the need to act to recapture the U.S. position as the destination of choice for internationally mobile students is now recognized at the highest levels of our government.

It is now time to move beyond these important, though short-term fixes toward a broader effort. The United States, once unrivalled as the leading destination for international students, now faces the perception abroad, whether accurate or not, that it has become less welcoming and more difficult to access. At the same time, other countries have stepped up proactive national initiatives, well-established before September 11, to recruit international students and scholars. International enrollments at universities in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada are up by healthy margins. These realities, combined with the lingering effects of restrictive visa controls, have combined to compel many more students abroad to consider and pursue non-U.S. academic destinations.

The beginning of a second presidential term and a new Congress provide a historic opportunity to reverse these trends and restore the U.S. position as the leading destination for the world's best and brightest minds. What is needed is a national strategy that articulates why international student access is important for the future security and leadership of the United States and sets out a comprehensive recruitment strategy.

We call on the president to lead the way by inviting higher education and private sector leaders to joint senior government officials at a White House conference early next year to map such a strategy and to commit their organizations' resources to making it a reality.

Data on International Education