A new survey unveils that a quite handsome number of Indian students worry about their physical safety in the US and hence, have a “high level of concern” about the potential study in the state.
US Supreme Court’s June order has temporarily upheld President Donald Trump’s executive order to restrict entry of nationals from six Muslim majority countries to America. The Institute of International Education (IIE), over this situation, says, that this any further step must be taken after weighing this situation.
It explains that over a million international students are studying in the US, pooling in more than $36 billion to the American economy, making the stakes high for the government.
IIE is a US-based not-for-profit established back in 1919. The institute works to build peaceful and equitable societies by advancing scholarship, building economies and promoting access to opportunity. International Student Exchange and Aid, Foreign Affairs, and International Peace and Security also come under its vicinity of concern.
Recently, after the results of the survey were compiled, IIE revealed that this is the highest level of institutional concern regarding enrollment of students from the Middle East, followed by India.
About one-third institutions are concerned that students from Middle East and India, who have accepted their offers, might not be able to join the course in the fall at all.
“This uncertainty raises valid concerns as to whether students from the Middle East may be deterred from US study,” it expressed.
“Securing and maintaining a visa is reported as the top concern among these students and was reported by 46 per cent of institutions, while feeling welcome in the United States was an almost equal concern, with 41 per cent of institutions noting so from their conversations with students,” it continued.
Survey results, as per the IIE, suggest that students in India “have a high level of concern about potential study in the United States, 80 per cent of institutions responded that physical safety was the most pronounced concern for Indian students, while 31 per cent of institutions indicated that feeling welcome was also a concern.”
IIE says, “Although application totals appearing to largely remain stable, yield rates and a concern about personal safety suggest the possibility that Indian students may not continue to grow as the second largest international group in US higher education.”
“Their concerns may lead some Indian students to accept admissions offers from other leading host countries, especially from those that issue student visas more quickly,” it continues.
Nevertheless, the impact of the situation is nullified to the American economy as the interest among international students in the US remains steady overall.
There seems to be a 2% decline in the expected yield rate this year compared to the previous year, as per the data provided by 112 colleges.
The overall dip in international undergraduate yield is from 26% to 24% from fall’16 to fall’17.
The two percentage point decline is comparable to shifts in the domestic (US) student yield reported by institutional respondents, which fell from 30 to 28 per cent over the same time period, it responded.Concern over the arrival of students from Europe and Canada arriving on campus in the fall still however persists, where there is a slight worry over students’ arrival from China and Latin America is noticed.
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