The number of new Bangladeshi students coming to the United States for higher studies this year was almost the same as the last academic year but the year-over-year percentage growth saw a decline, according to a report released by the Institute of International Education on Tuesday.
The report also found that the overall number of international students entering US colleges and universities has fallen for the second year in a row and new enrollments for the 2017-18 school year slumped by 6.6 percent. The last academic year saw a decline of 3.3 percent.
Compared to 2017, more institutions attribute 2018 declines in new enrollment to problems with visa delays and denials, the U.S. social and political climate, and student decisions to enroll in another country.
The decline, according to the US media, is due to a combination of politics, fear, geography and visa and immigration policy changes by the Trump administration.
The Wall Street Journal quoted Alejandra Sosa Pieroni, an international recruitment expert, saying: “Students are not feeling welcome in some states, so they are looking beyond those states and heading to places where they will feel welcome.”
A strong US dollar and headlines about mass shootings also may have deterred some students, said Allan Goodman, president of IIE.
“Everything matters from safety, to cost, to perhaps perceptions of visa policy,” said Mr Goodman.
The report also expresses “elevated concern” about student recruitment for next year, particularly from Asia.
With two-thirds of all international students in the United States from Asia, there are apprehensions that any shifts in student interest would significantly impact overall enrollment.
Among reporting institutions, 48 percent indicate declines in new Chinese students, 42 percent cite falling numbers of Indian students, and 38 percent note decreases in South Korea, Nepal, and Vietnam.
China ranks at the top followed by India on the list of countries sending students to the United States for higher education.
Bangladesh ranked 24th on the list with a total of 7,496 new enrollments. In the 2016-17 academic year, 7,143 new students from Bangladesh had come to the US.
Bangladeshi students contributed $282 million to the US economy and a majority of new students enrolled for graduate studies.
International students pumped $42 billion into US college and universities in the 2017-18 academic year alone and a large number of institutions have become increasingly dependent on this massive revenue stream. Universities charge foreign students almost double the amount that domestic students have to pay.
The total number of international students in the US in 2017-2018 grew by 1.5 percent to a record high of 1.1 million, but it was the smallest year-over-year increase since 2005. The growth in total enrollment was driven by nearly 16 percent increase in the number of students opting to remain in the US after finishing their studies for short-term work known as OPT or Optional Practical Training.