Texas colleges and universities saw international student enrollment dwindle as COVID-19 created obstacles – The Dallas Morning News

College student Yufei Wu hasnt seen her family in nearly three years because of Chinas coronavirus restrictions and strict lockdowns.

Wu, 23, a senior at Texas Tech University, wasnt able to grieve with relatives when her grandfather passed away, see her younger brother grow up or celebrate traditions with her parents who were thousands of miles away.

It feels like Im losing my Chinese identity, Wu said. From the way I speak Chinese, from how much Chinese food I eat, how much I connect with my cultural roots and thats extremely difficult because that is a very big part of who I am.

But Wu remains in Texas to pursue her degree in human development and family sciences. Shes among a dwindling number of international students enrolled in American universities.

Schools across the state and the country had dramatic drops in such students as the pandemic ravaged education, but their enrollment was trending down even before COVID-19 hit.

The number of international college students enrolled in the United States schools peaked at more than 903,100 in 2016-17. But by last year, that declined by 21% to about 710,200, according to the Institute for International Education.

Many Texas schools saw similar decreases. Compared to the previous year, the University of Texas at Dallas known for drawing a large international student population saw a 22% drop in such new undergraduates and a whopping 66% decrease in new graduate students in the fall of 2020. Overall, that was a nearly 25% drop in total international students.

In the same period, Southern Methodist University saw a 21% drop in its total international student enrollment; UT-Arlington and Texas A&M Universitys groups dwindled by nearly 12% while Texas Techs decreased by about 11%.

Graduate programs were particularly hampered. Texas A&Ms international graduate student enrollment, for example, suffered the most due to a 31% drop.

Such students contributed about $1.5 billion to the Texas economy last year, according to NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Overall, international students studying in the United States contributed $28.4 billion nationwide during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Locally, for example, international students poured more than $100 million into UT-Dallas and UT-Arlington and their surrounding communities during the same period. The students not only bring an influx of funds, but also create a more diverse campus and widen area students worldviews through their differing cultural perspectives, said Jill Allen Murray, NAFSAs deputy executive director for public policy.

Attracting international students and scholars to U.S. colleges and universities is an important way that the United States grows, Murray said.

Many students chose to delay their enrollment last year because the pandemic threw chaos into an already complicated process for international students, said Juan Gonzlez, UT-Dallas vice provost for global engagement. However, as embassies reopened and campuses informed their communities about vaccination and testing opportunities, there was a big, dramatic shift in the attitude of the students, he said.

Still, a major challenge for administrators is reassuring families that their children will be safe on the other side of the world in some instances during the pandemic.

The parents dont have that much influence on the domestic students anymore. Theyre very independent, Gonzlez said. But in the international arena, parents have a lot of influence.

The constant communication with parents goes a long way for students, like Wu, whose parents prodded her to consider dropping out of college to return home throughout the past two years because of COVID-19 concerns.

Wu transferred into the United States from Chengdu, a city in Chinas Sichuan Province, in 2016 as a junior in high school the same year former President Donald Trump was elected.

Even before the pandemic, some international students often felt waves of uncertainty regarding their status under Trumps administration because of his hard stance on immigration, said David Barron, UT-Tylers associate vice president for university enrollment management.

Trumps policies also affected those students decisions on attending college in America because of the tense political climate, Barron said.

And as COVID-19 began spreading at the end of Trumps tenure, Wu and others anxiously kept up with changing policies as universities were forced to suddenly shift to remote education.

Initially, the Trump administration issued an order that would have blocked foreign students from remaining in the United States if their classes were only online. Wu felt anxious and feared having to return to China at a moments notice until after that order was rescinded.

Meanwhile, she also felt unsafe going out in public as discrimination and violence against Asian Americans increased, which some contributed to political rhetoric surrounding the virus.

She argued with her parents as they voiced concerns over her safety and health, reminding her that returning home was an option.

Because I look the way I do from the political situation, the atmosphere during that time it was risky sometimes, she said.

One obstacle after another

Many students struggled with simply getting into the country over the past two years as international travel became heavily restricted and air traffic was reduced. Consulates and embassies across the world were closed, leaving many in a haze as they attempted to acquire student visas.

This past fall, SMU welcomed the largest first-year international class in its history, which officials say reflects the continuing desire to pursue a degree in the United States especially as higher education institutions have now adapted to the changes of the ongoing pandemic after two years.

Were not seeing a reduction in interest in our programs, said Marc Christensen, dean at SMUs Lyle School of Engineering. Were just seeing that people cannot get here to take the classes.

SMUs engineering school, for example, has about 150 students from India who have deferred their enrollment until they can obtain visas.

Applying for graduate school at the UT-Dallas from Mumbai was an anxious time for students like Punit Sanghavi, who had to navigate the process during worldwide disruptions caused by the coronavirus.

Prospective international students like him juggled school and visa applications, closed embassies and borders, vaccine requirements and their parents worries about the virus all while rushing to get into the United States in time to take their classes.

Sanghavi, who eventually secured an emergency appointment at his embassy for a visa, began classes in the fall, where he is studying business analytics. But he knows many who werent as lucky.

From flight tickets being expensive, like super expensive, to a limited number of operational flights, to looking for accommodation in the U.S. where we want to stay, he said, recalling the chaotic start of school. A lot of people didnt have the visas in time flights got canceled.

Students who couldnt make it to Texas in person, did their best to connect with classmates remotely.

For her entire freshman year in 2020, Pavani Rambachan attended classes at UT-Arlington online from her home in Trinidad and Tobago, but didnt let the distance come between her and an active student life.

A big thing that really took top priority besides my grades, she said, was to be really involved in campus so I could still be there without physically being there.

Rambachan, now 22, joined the student government, honors programs and robotics team; became a UT-Arlington ambassador, increasing awareness on campus programs and promoting the school; and even moved to bring an old club back to life the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space for which she acts as president and encouraged about 250 others to join.

The clubs allowed her to network and connect with people, take a break from class work, feel less alone and make friends on campus.

Once she arrived in Texas for the fall semester in 2021, Rambachan sorted out her affairs on campus and connected with a friend she met virtually through the student government to tour the school.

I have some really awesome friends that I met here and really did have my back, she said, adding that the connections helped her adjust to life in a new country.

Colleges continue to focus heavily on communicating constantly and clearly with such students for whom a single sign of support can make the difference making sure that they understand the puzzling process of studying abroad during a global pandemic where policies and restrictions shift rapidly.

Its something that we just have to deal with, learn from it and just be patient until we have that population back on our campuses, said Sukant Misra, Texas Techs vice provost for international affairs.

Meanwhile, students like Wu are finding ways to cope as they remain a world away from family.

She invites other international and local students to share recipes that her grandfather taught her such as dumplings with pork and leek fillings or edamame soup and whips up dishes traditionally made to celebrate holidays and festivals.

Studying abroad is really fun, and it can be really challenging but also super rewarding, Wu said. My life here is definitely not easy, but I wouldnt trade it for anything else.

The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.

The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from The Beck Group, Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, The Meadows Foundation, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University, Todd A. Williams Family Foundation and the University of Texas at Dallas. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Labs journalism.

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Texas colleges and universities saw international student enrollment dwindle as COVID-19 created obstacles - The Dallas Morning News