New International Students To U.S. May Hit Post-WW2 Low

“I think the decline in new international students will be steep,” said Miriam Feldblum, executive director of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, in an interview. She hopes the low end of the estimate includes not just Canadians and Mexicans but also new international enrollments who may attempt to travel to a country not on the restricted list and wait the necessary time before traveling to the United States. The size of that universe and whether it will be possible given State Department policies is unclear. Second, some students may have interviews upcoming or already received visas.

Feldblum also believes, based on her conversations with university staff, there are “new” international student enrollments – incoming first-years and incoming first-year graduate students – who are already in the United States, such as individuals who completed high school, or people going from undergraduate to graduate studies. “If consulates start scheduling visa interviews again and enact some expedited processes, that would be helpful,” she said.

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