Appleseed's September Blog Post discussed trends in international student enrollment in the U.S from 1999-2006, including the decline in 2002-03 and 2005-06. The latest data from the Institute of International Education's "Open Doors" report, released on November 12, indicates that enrollment for 2006-07 rebounded to its highest level since 2002-03. While this growth is a positive sign, it's worth digging a little deeper to see whether this growth means that the U.S is regaining its attractiveness relative to other nations competing for the same talent.

As discussed in the Chronicle of Higher Education and elsewhere, the growth in international student enrollment in the U.S is occurring alongside worldwide growth in the pool of international students. While the number of international students enrolled in U.S institutions increased by 3.2 percent, the country's share of international students actually declined. Three other English-speaking countries all grew their international student enrollment at a faster rate: Australia by 4.7 percent, Canada by 6.9 percent, and Britain by 3.7 percent. Similarly, the Chronicle cites major efforts by China and Malaysia to enroll students from regions typically under-recruited by the U.S.

When analyzing the U.S's market share of international talent, we should consider trends in movement of international scholars to the U.S. This is often an overlooked population, though their presence carries similar, if not greater, economic impact. Data from the Fulbright Scholar Program, the U.S government's major program for international exchange, indicates that the number of visiting scholars to the U.S has declined by 16 percent since 1998-1999, and by more than 25 percent since last year. This decline has occurred simultaneously with a growth in U.S scholars teaching abroad at a rate of 10 percent. This drop in international scholars carries a number of consequences:

  • International scholars contribute to the development of intellectual capital, through their involvement in research at U.S colleges and universities. If the U.S is to remain competitive in research, it must continue to attract from all over the world people who can make such contributions.

  • The drop in international scholars could have a ripple effect on the U.S's ability to recruit international students.
  • International scholars create similar economic impacts for local economies; a drop in such a population leads to similar results (for a more in-depth discussion on the economic impact of international students, see our September post).