As college campuses aim to become more globally aware and diverse, they are actually experiencing a decrease in the number of international students who come to their institutions.
The Institute for International Education released their annual "Open Doors" report yesterday, which documented the 2003-2004 school year as being the first to show a decrease in international students studying at universities in the United States since 1971.
The report breaks down data dealing with both international students and U.S. students that study abroad.
"That's the most authoritative report there is," University Dean of Admissions John A. Blackburn said. "That is the final word on what's happened in the country with international students."
The report shows that the number of undergraduate international students decreased by 5 percent, although this decline was offset by the number of graduate international students, which increased by 2.5 percent.
Currently, there are 572,509 international students studying at American universities. While they only make up about 4.6 percent of college students, international students bring in around $13 billion to the economy every year, according to the report.
The Commonwealth is currently ranked 13th in the number of international students. Almost 20 percent of its foreign students hail from Morocco, which is the largest contributor of students to Virginia. The report stated that the Commonwealth saw a 2.7 percent decrease when it hosted 12,531 international students for the 2003-2004 school year.
In comparison, California is ranked first with a total of 77,186 international students. The University of Southern California, one of the few institutions to report an increase of international students, hosts the most international students of any university with 6,647.
The report ranks the University as having the fourth largest concentration of international students in Virginia, preceded by Northern Virginia Community College, Virginia Tech and George Mason University. According to Blackburn, the University is comprised of about 5 percent international students and sees between 700 and 800 international applications a year.
Leigh Grossman, University vice provost for international affairs, expressed confidence that the University will remain competitive in attracting international applicants.
"I think we will continue to do as well -- if not better than -- many of the other universities in the country," Grossman said, citing Charlottesville's ideal location and the expansion of international programs and global recruitment as features that appeal to international students.
One of the reasons to explain the national decline is the fact that students hoping to study in the U.S. have faced increased security concerns when applying for visas since Sept. 11. The IIE also cites that universities in Britain, New Zealand and Australia, as well as universities in countries that are typically sources for international students, have become increasingly competitive and provide easier alternatives to studying in the U.S.
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