Washington, July 6, 2017 — Today, the results of the latest inter-associational survey on measuring international student interest in obtaining an education in the United States was released. The study examined the “yield” of international student applicants, namely the percentage of students who have accepted an offer of admission to attend a U.S. college or university. The following is a statement by Dr. Esther D. Brimmer, Executive Director and CEO of NAFSA: Association of International Educators.
“While these results provide a small snapshot of international student intentions to study in the United States this fall, it is still too early to tell if international student enrollment for the 2017-18 academic year has been negatively impacted, but we remain cautiously optimistic. Member institutions of all five partnering organizations were invited to participate in the survey, of which 112 recorded valid responses. We must continue to monitor all incoming data, including SEVIS fee payment data and visa approvals, to determine the impact of world events on international education and recruitment efforts.
“Despite the small respondent size, most concerning is the data which indicate a decline in admissions yields of prospective international graduate students, particularly for prospective master’s degree students. Forty-six percent of graduate deans indicated they are seeing substantial downward changes in admissions yields for international students. Given that the large majority of international graduate students are offered admission into master’s degree programs, this may have substantial implications for first-time enrollment of international graduate students for Fall 2017, and we will be following this carefully as students arrive on campus in the fall.
“One of the most promising indicators of the survey is that colleges and universities’ commitment to boosting recruitment efforts have yielded some very positive tangible results. We commend international educators as they have made every effort possible to ensure these incredibly talented individuals are welcome in the United States.”