U.S. colleges send warm welcome overseas amid dip in interest
Many U.S. colleges and universities, seeing declining numbers of applications from overseas, are trying to reassure potential international students they will be welcome on campus despite what they see in the news.
Schools are ramping up marketing efforts geared toward foreign students to combat growing fears that President Donald Trump’s stance on immigration reflects a United States that is becoming less welcoming to foreigners.
Nearly half the nation’s 25 largest public universities saw undergraduate applications from abroad fall or stagnate since last year, according to data colleges provided to The Associated Press in response to public records requests. Eight schools did not provide data, while six saw gains.
“Students are telling us that they don’t feel safe here in the United States. That they’re concerned about discrimination, racism,” said Katharine Johnson Suski, admissions director at Iowa State University, which is not among the largest 25. “This year it was a little more important to make sure that they felt comfortable with their decision.”
Iowa State is ramping overseas mailings to sell students on the school’s Midwestern charm. Similarly, Purdue University sent overseas applicants a note from two mayors touting Indiana’s “friendly smiles” and hospitality. On a recent trip to India, the president of Portland State University told prospective students they’d be safe on his campus. Dozens of other schools produced online videos to welcome foreign students.
Colleges and universities have received a financial boost in recent years from international students, who are typically charged higher tuition rates than American peers who live in state. Some schools have come to rely on revenue from foreign students, whose enrollment has climbed sharply over much of the past decade, according to federal data.
But the data obtained by the AP provide evidence enrollment figures at some schools could drop next fall.
International applications to the University of Arizona are down 24 percent compared with this time last year; California State University, Northridge, is down 26 percent. The University of Houston has seen a 32 percent drop, although it’s still accepting applications and its numbers will likely rise.
The U.S. Department of Education did not immediately comment.
Philadelphia’s Temple University sparked a chain reaction in November when it posted an online video featuring students and staff members saying “You are welcome here” in multiple languages, set to upbeat piano music. Since then, more than 100 other schools have made similar videos and circulated them abroad. Temple also hosted seven overseas receptions for admitted students, more than in the past.