Could Coronavirus Lead to a Decrease in International Students in America?
2020-05-17
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1Priscilla C. of Holland Village in Singapore has a bright future ahead of her.
2The 17-year-old has been accepted to study economics at Stanford University in California.
3She hopes to begin her studies this autumn.
4But Priscilla, who asked VOA not to use her full name, fears the ongoing coronavirus pandemic will have a major effect on her college experience.
5She worries about travel restrictions.
6She also worries about the United States' uneven actions taken to fight the disease outbreak.
7And she wonders whether she will even be able to attend college classes in person in the fall.
8"It's added a lot of stress and uncertainty to the process," she said.
9"The most exciting thing about deciding to become an international student was attending college in California, and now there's a big possibility that I won't physically be on the campus I was dreaming about."
10She said she trusts that schools will do what they feel is best for their students.
11But even if colleges do re-open in the fall, Priscilla says she will still probably have health and safety concerns.
12And, she and her friends fear they may miss out on many traditional college experiences and memories.
13Other international students with plans to study in America have similar thoughts and concerns.
14And, experts worry the effects of the pandemic could cause problems for colleges and universities.
15The Institute of International Education, or IIE, does a yearly count of America's international students using State Department data.
16During the 2018-2019 school year, the IIE found there were over 1,095,000 international students in the U.S.
17This represents 5.5 percent of the total college student population.
18But the number of new, first-time international students studying at American colleges and universities was 7 percent lower than the year before.
19The coronavirus crisis is making it more difficult for international students hoping to come to America, observers say.
20Philip Altbach is director of the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College.
21He says international students were already dealing with the rising cost of American higher education before the coronavirus pandemic.
22And, the belief that the U.S. has become less welcoming to foreigners is widespread.
23Because of the pandemic, the U.S. has a travel ban on foreign visitors from China and Europe.
24About 34 percent of international students that come to the U.S. are from China, the IIE reports.
25Christopher Rim is the chief executive officer of Command Education, a New York-based college advising company.
26He says many of the students his company works with are from places like Hong Kong and Shanghai.
27He says many of them have been considering other choices for international higher education.
28Some U.S. schools have already said they will re-open in the fall. But it is still unclear how classes will operate in many cases.
29The possibility remains that that many American colleges and universities will reopen online.
30That means that international students who remain in their home countries may have to take classes in the middle of the night.
31It also means they will not get the traditional experiences of living in shared housing and taking part in campus events.
32Rim said, "They're not paying a $70,000 or $80,000 tuition to sit in front of a computer in their bedroom or their living room at home."
33Rim noted that a decrease in international students coming to the U.S. would present a serious financial problem for schools and their surrounding communities.
34International students added over $44 billion to the nation's economy in 2018, the U.S. Department of Commerce reports.
35But James Hundreiser of the National Association Of College And University Business Officers argues that the threat to American higher education is not so great.
36He says schools no longer have as much financial dependence on international students' tuition as they once did.
37And the quality of online education is actually very good.
38"I actually wonder if this will open up the doors to...more international students...because of those who can't afford to necessarily travel overseas," said Hundreiser.
39"We know that affordability is an issue for not only American students, but also international students."
40Priscilla C. still plans to study at Stanford, even with her concerns.
41So do her friends who also have plans to study in America.
42And even if there is a decrease in the number of international students, Altbach, Rim and Hundreiser all agree that it will not last long.
43"Students around the world still see the U.S. as one of the best higher education systems in the world, and the American society, even with the current problems that we face, as an attractive place to be," Altbach said.
44I'm Dorothy Gundy.
45And I'm Pete Musto.
1Priscilla C. of Holland Village in Singapore has a bright future ahead of her. The 17-year-old has been accepted to study economics at Stanford University in California. She hopes to begin her studies this autumn. 2But Priscilla, who asked VOA not to use her full name, fears the ongoing coronavirus pandemic will have a major effect on her college experience. 3She worries about travel restrictions. She also worries about the United States' uneven actions taken to fight the disease outbreak. And she wonders whether she will even be able to attend college classes in person in the fall. 4"It's added a lot of stress and uncertainty to the process," she said. "The most exciting thing about deciding to become an international student was attending college in California, and now there's a big possibility that I won't physically be on the campus I was dreaming about." 5She said she trusts that schools will do what they feel is best for their students. But even if colleges do re-open in the fall, Priscilla says she will still probably have health and safety concerns. And, she and her friends fear they may miss out on many traditional college experiences and memories. 6Other international students with plans to study in America have similar thoughts and concerns. And, experts worry the effects of the pandemic could cause problems for colleges and universities. 7The Institute of International Education, or IIE, does a yearly count of America's international students using State Department data. During the 2018-2019 school year, the IIE found there were over 1,095,000 international students in the U.S. This represents 5.5 percent of the total college student population. 8But the number of new, first-time international students studying at American colleges and universities was 7 percent lower than the year before. 9The coronavirus crisis is making it more difficult for international students hoping to come to America, observers say. 10Philip Altbach is director of the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College. He says international students were already dealing with the rising cost of American higher education before the coronavirus pandemic. And, the belief that the U.S. has become less welcoming to foreigners is widespread. 11Because of the pandemic, the U.S. has a travel ban on foreign visitors from China and Europe. About 34 percent of international students that come to the U.S. are from China, the IIE reports. 12Christopher Rim is the chief executive officer of Command Education, a New York-based college advising company. He says many of the students his company works with are from places like Hong Kong and Shanghai. He says many of them have been considering other choices for international higher education. 13Some U.S. schools have already said they will re-open in the fall. But it is still unclear how classes will operate in many cases. 14The possibility remains that that many American colleges and universities will reopen online. That means that international students who remain in their home countries may have to take classes in the middle of the night. It also means they will not get the traditional experiences of living in shared housing and taking part in campus events. 15Rim said, "They're not paying a $70,000 or $80,000 tuition to sit in front of a computer in their bedroom or their living room at home." 16Rim noted that a decrease in international students coming to the U.S. would present a serious financial problem for schools and their surrounding communities. International students added over $44 billion to the nation's economy in 2018, the U.S. Department of Commerce reports. 17But James Hundreiser of the National Association Of College And University Business Officers argues that the threat to American higher education is not so great. He says schools no longer have as much financial dependence on international students' tuition as they once did. And the quality of online education is actually very good. 18"I actually wonder if this will open up the doors to...more international students...because of those who can't afford to necessarily travel overseas," said Hundreiser. "We know that affordability is an issue for not only American students, but also international students." 19Priscilla C. still plans to study at Stanford, even with her concerns. So do her friends who also have plans to study in America. And even if there is a decrease in the number of international students, Altbach, Rim and Hundreiser all agree that it will not last long. 20"Students around the world still see the U.S. as one of the best higher education systems in the world, and the American society, even with the current problems that we face, as an attractive place to be," Altbach said. 21I'm Dorothy Gundy. 22And I'm Pete Musto. 23Pete Musto reported on this story for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. 24________________________________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26pandemic - n. an occurrence in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people over a wide area or throughout the world 27outbreak - n. a sudden start or increase of fighting or disease 28stress - n. a state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in your life and work 29uncertainty - n. the quality or state of feeling unsure about something 30exciting - adj. causing feelings of interest and enthusiasm 31campus - n. the area and buildings around a university, college, or school 32tuition - n. money that is paid to a school for the right to study there 33afford - v. to be able to pay for something 34society - n. the people of a particular country, area, or time thought of especially as an organized community 35attractive - adj. having a feature or quality that people like