“Open Doors 2004" is available online from the IIE Network.
The number of international students enrolled in higher education institutions in the United States dropped by 2.4 percent for the 2003-04 academic year, representing the first decline in foreign enrollments since 1971-72, according to a report.
The report—released last week by the New York City-based Institute of International Education and the U.S. Department of State’s bureau of educational and cultural affairs—found that foreign enrollments decreased by 5 percent for undergraduate programs, but increased by 2.5 percent for graduate programs.
The report suggests that the overall decline can be attributed to a variety of reasons, including real and perceived difficulties in obtaining student visas, rising tuition costs, aggressive recruitment efforts by universities in other English-speaking nations, and perceptions that international students may no longer be welcome in the United States.
