Continuing Decline In Foreign Grad Student Enrollments Worries Colleges

WASHINGTON - "A new survey indicates the number of foreign graduate students enrolling for the first time at American universities is down 6 percent this year - the third straight decline after a decade of growth. Educators worry the trend is eroding America's position as the world's leader in higher education.

The fall wasn't as steep as feared, considering applications last spring were down 32 percent. American universities staved off a comparable decline in enrollment by admitting a higher percentage of students and persuading more admitted students to enroll.
But the results of the survey, of 122 member institutions by the Council of Graduate Schools, are still alarming to educators. American universities are highly dependent on foreign students for teaching and research help, particularly in the sciences and in engineering, a field in which foreigners comprise 50 percent of graduate enrollment.

"If you took them out of the system, we would not be at the same point we are in many of our endeavors - scientific endeavors and also economic growth," said Heath Brown, the council's director of research and policy analysis. And students who return home also advance American interests by bringing to leadership positions a better understanding of the United States, he said.

More than two-thirds of schools reported some decline. The steepest drops were in business (12 percent), sciences/agriculture (10 percent) and engineering (8 percent), though physical sciences rose 6 percent. Experts believe a major factor is the difficulty - or at least perceived difficulty - of getting student visas under tightened U.S. immigration policies. Other factors include anti-Americanism abroad, and increasing competitiveness from universities in India, China and Europe."

EDIT

Aw shoot! Who's gonna teach 'em 'lectrical engineerin' and calculus now??

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/nation/story/7ED263E9B953DFFF86256F440021F12F?OpenDocument&Headline=Continued+decline+in+enrollment+by+foreign+graduate+students

way when you take classes you can understand what is being said

There's just not enough American students applying. Because American students are for the most part idiots, too lazy to even bother trying to understand foreign accents.

try to learn from them
they may have degrees but don't know anything from the classes I have taken

and again they need to give american students more scholarships like they give these others. Americans try to work and go to school - therefore get no support

these others come over and don't work - go to school free and get free room and board - because their income is zip - they get free ride
american student trys to do both and loses

Only a true democracy can accomodate two opposing ideologies.