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International Students Are Coming Back to U.S. Colleges
After the Trump Slump, top U.S. schools are seeing a rebound in applications from abroad—with one very big exception
On the long list of Donald Trump’s dubious accomplishments as President, there’s one you might have missed: an unprecedented decline in applications from foreign students seeking to attend U.S. colleges and grad schools.
The U.S. has long been the top destination for international students. About one million international students are currently enrolled in colleges and universities here — more than twice the number studying in the second and third top destination countries. But thanks to a toxic combination of racist and xenophobic rhetoric, travel bans, and student visa restrictions, international applications to U.S. schools have declined during every year of the Trump administration, starting in the 2016–2017 academic year.
In addition to bringing a global perspective to U.S. campuses, foreign students contribute about $40 billion a year to the US economy, creating three jobs for every seven international students who come to study here.
