The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
University enrollment takes a dip
International students uncertain about visas, safety, jobs
Anand Mahant, an accounting major from India, has spent nearly four years living his dream in America.
By August, the 21-year-old will have completed a bachelor’s degree in accounting at the University of Bridgeport.
“It was a tremendous journey, filled with joy,” said Mahant, who hopes to attend graduate school.
Whether UB can replace Mahant and hundreds of other international students on its campus remains uncertain.
After years of enrollment growth, particularly among those coming to UB from around the world, the university has experienced a drop in its international students, as have other colleges nationwide.
In the year since President Donald Trump took office, student visas have become are harder to get, prospects of working in the U.S. after graduation are less certain and the United States is no longer the only destination for international students and their tuition dollars.
“Take a look at what Canada is doing,” said Tarek
M. Sobh, UB’s senior vice president for graduate studies and research. “Their doors are opening wide; it’s unbelievable.”
The Institute of International Education reports a 6.9 percent decline in new international students enrolling at U.S. institutions in the fall of 2017, according to a preliminary survey of 500 colleges. About 45 percent of institutions describe a drop in new international student numbers.
But another 31 percent of institutions report an increase in international students. The University of Connecticut, Yale and the University of New Haven all count themselves among campuses bucking the trend.
In the fall, UConn reported 3,792 international students, higher than the 3,506 the year before.
UConn officials said they see an increase among students from countries affected by the Trump administration’s travel ban.
In 2016, 54 students from Iran were enrolled at the university. In fall 2017, the number increased to 56. UConn’s largest decrease was among students from Saudi Arabia, where a cut in that nation’s government scholarship program has given fewer Saudis access to an overseas education.
Yale reports its fall 2017 international student enrollment was the largest in its history, with 2,841 students from 121 countries and a 7.8 percent increase over the fall of 2016.
The University of New Haven reports 996 international students as of the fall, according to Walter Caffey, vice president of enrollment management. He said that number is up slightly from the year before.
Still, Caffey said, “We know a lot of (international) students (are) going into appointments nervous, so we prepare them best we can. They worry about safety: Will we be welcome here? Are there students on campus from our part of the world.”
Sacred Heart University in Fairfield has the fifth- largest international student population in the state, according to a report by the Institute of International Education. University officials could not immediately provide numbers indicating whether international enrollments were up or down last fall.
At UB, where one-quarter of the student population is international, the drop-off has come primarily among graduate students.
Last fall, 127 new international graduate students enrolled at the university, compared to 327 in the fall of 2016.
Even though full-time undergraduate enrollment at UB increased by 160 students to 2,300 students in fall 2017, the overall headcount showed a 4 percent decline to 5,434 students. That includes undergraduates, graduates, part- and full-time students, domestic and international.
The result has led to budget cuts. In a carefully worded memo to staff earlier this month, UB President Neil Salonen called the cuts a “focused reorganization” that includes “a modest reduction in force.”
Salonen would not say exactly how many positions were eliminated. Most suggest the number is fewer than 20 staff members, none among faculty ranks.
“We took this last step reluctantly and only after considering every other option,” Salonen wrote, calling the budget adjustments a conservative measure.
His overarching priority, he said, is to balance the university’s budget. That’s particularly important now, since Salonen is preparing to turn the reins over to a new president by summer.
At UB, Mahant, 21, said many students like him from India are reluctant to take a chance on the U.S.
“Every month (there is a) changing scenario,” he said. “They are unsure about what they will do after graduation, also whether to invest in expensive education and getting nothing in return.”
After Trump’s election, Salonen went out of his way to reassure international students.
Sobh, dean of UB’s school of engineering — a program filled with international students, said perception is as important as reality for international students and their parents.
“I go to universities around the world,” Sobh said. “I meet with parents, give wonderful presentations. Usually what I get are questions about logistics: Is my kid going to be safe in the U.S.?
Sometimes, Sobh said, enrollment is affected by timing.
“Six or seven years ago, you might remember there was this incident in Bombay,” Sobh said. “There was a terrorist attack at a hotel. It happened during the visa-issuing season. It closed the Bombay consulate of the U.S. for a month.”
As a result, international student numbers from India were affected, Sobh said. India is second only to China in sending college students to the U.S.
UB draws students from more than 50 countries, with India, China and Saudi Arabia being the top three. Karissa Peckham, UB’s vice president for enrollment management, said despite the decline in international students, her staff continues to recruit internationally.
“We are exploring promising new international markets to develop relationships that will be critical to longterm maintenance of a strong international student population,” Peckham said.