The increases this fall follow a 46 percent drop in new international students, and a 15 percent drop in total international students, in academic year 2020–21 compared to the year before. The majority of the international students in fall 2020 were enrolled exclusively in online classes: IIE found that only 41 percent of newly enrolled international students, and 47 percent of all international students, were able to attend a class in person in fall 2020. U.S. colleges said they are prioritizing outreach to prospective international students in India (56 percent) and China (51 percent)—together students in these two countries account for more than half of all international students in the U.S.—and to international students enrolled in U.S. high schools (44 percent). The Departments of Education and State issued a joint statement in July articulating “a renewed U.S. commitment to international education,” which, advocates for international education hoped, could be a first step toward a federal strategy. Summer is typically a busy time for study abroad, accounting for 39 percent of all study abroad enrollments in the 2018–19 academic year.

Source: International New York Times November 16, 2021 06:59 UTC