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Fading Beacon: Why America Is Losing International Students

This hour explores a sea change in the number of foreign students attending U.S. colleges, which have typically attracted more than a million international students a year. Higher education is one of America’s top service exports, generating $42 billion in revenue — money those institutions need, given the drop in public funding. 

After the Great Recession, a rapid rise in full-pay international students, especially from China and India, helped make up for the loss of public support. But the money spigot is closing. The pandemic, visa restrictions, rising tuition, and a perception of safety issues in America have driven new international student enrollment down by a jaw-dropping 72 percent. 

Tuition dollars aren’t the only loss. In the past, international exchanges served as a form of diplomacy, forging ties to other countries. 

In this hour, we team up with Karin Fischer of the Chronicle of Higher Education to trace America’s rise as a global beacon for higher education and examine what’s lost as that changes.

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This hour explores a sea change in the number of foreign students attending U.S. colleges, which have typically attracted more than a million international students a year. The pandemic, visa restrictions, rising tuition, and a perception of safety issues in America have driven new international student enrollment down by a jaw-dropping 72 percent. 

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APM Reports documentary, 'Fading Beacon: Why America Is Losing International Students'

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