Iowa universities facing drop in international enrollment

Iowa’s three public universities are facing a drop in the number of international students coming to campus this fall.

The expected dip of a few hundred students spread out among three universities may not be noticeable at first, but a prolonged decline would have repercussions — both financially and culturally, officials said.

“The international students and scholars are very much a part of this university,” said Krista McCallum Beatty, director of the International Students and Scholars Office at Iowa State University. "They enrich the academic experience, the campus and the community."

The drop comes at a time when the three universities have experienced a $30 million cut in state funding over the past year. Most international students pay out-of-state tuition, which is significantly higher than for resident students. ISU also is in the process of implementing a $1,500 fee for all international students.

If the decline continues, it also could become a setback in efforts to diversify the student populations at all three institutions.

"Recruiting and retaining a diverse student body, including international students, is so integral to the University of Iowa that it is part of the university’s strategic plan," said Jeneane Beck, a UI spokeswoman. "Providing a variety of perspectives and experiences enriches the educational experience for all students and better prepares them for the future."

About 300 incoming international students are projected to arrive in Iowa City in August, said Lee Seedorff, senior associate director of UI International Student and Scholar Services. That's down from the 416 international first-years who arrived in Fall 2016 and the 602 in Fall 2015.

ISU similarly expects as many as 175 fewer incoming international undergraduate students than the 334 who came in Fall 2016. Officials reported last month that they saw a 33 percent drop among first-year undergraduate international students who have accepted an offer to come to Ames.

The University of Northern Iowa is expecting to continue to attract about two dozen new international students, but the number of incoming international transfer students is expected to drop from 47 last year to closer to 30.

The exact numbers will not be known until after classes begin. Yet the projections are in keeping with a dip nationally in the number of international undergraduate students choosing to enroll in a U.S. institution after being offered admission.

Previous coverage

• Trump's election raises concerns with Iowa's international students
• ISU reports 3 students, scholars blocked by travel ban
• Proposed tuition hike for international students draws ire

The slight drop nationally is being experienced differently across the country. While schools in the Midwest have been seeing drops in international students, some institutions on the coasts have been reporting increased application and acceptance rates, according to Katharine Suski, ISU admissions director. 

In one recent study, 51 percent of schools reported an increase in international applications, while 40 percent report a decrease. Nine percent reported no change, according to data provided by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.

Officials at UI and ISU say they don't know the exact reasons for the drop within the state, but they speculate it has more to do with immigration concerns raised after the presidential election than with the subsequent travel bans issued by the Trump administration.

“The presidential election happened about the same time when people would have been filling out their applications,” UI's Seedorff said. “… Most people would have had their applications already in before the travel bans (were issued).”

Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court partially lifted the injunction on President Donald Trump’s ban on entry for nationals of six Muslim-majority countries — allowing it to take effect except in the cases of "foreign nationals who have a credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States."

The ruling indicates that students admitted to U.S. universities constitutes such a “bona fide relationship.”

The largest single group of international students impacted by the travel ban would be the roughly 90 Iranian students at ISU. All but a handful of those students are in graduate programs, with the bulk enrolled in the College of Engineering.

Sina Moharramzadeh, president of ISU’s Iranian Students and Scholars Association, said he was confident university officials were doing everything possible to help Iranian students navigate the current climate.

“It’s been tough for us, but we know this situation is more than the university,” Moharramzadeh said. “The university has done what it can, but we know this kind of stuff is out of their hands.”

Mostafa Amin-Naseri, Moharramzadeh's predecessor as president, said ISU's Iranian student population has changed over his four years on campus. There are now a lot more students who are hoping to bring their wives and children along with them to Ames.

“Just because of our nationality — not for having done anything wrong — all of us are brushed with being a threat to the national interest or national security,” Amin-Naseri told the Register earlier this year.

China continues to provide the majority of international students at both UI and ISU. Although Chinese students are not affected by the travel ban, acceptances are down by as much as 50 percent at ISU compared to one year ago.

UNI advisers report that the school's overall numbers are down because of "increased competition from institutions in other countries" and "global uncertainty," Scott Ketelsen, a UNI spokesman, said Tuesday via email. 

"Our international freshmen applications and admission offers were up nicely, thanks to some increased recruitment initiatives (including, but not limited to, joining The Common Application), but fewer are accepting offers," Ketelsen said. "However, we typically see a bit of late action as it relates to new international students accepting and enrolling."

Reach Jeff Charis-Carlson at jcharisc@press-citizen.com or 319-887-5435. Follow him on Twitter at @JeffCharis.