Though the
number of international students enrolled at American universities
has been steadily decreasing since the 2002-2003 school year,
statistics show that the drop may be leveling off.
UCLA now enrolls the 11th-highest number of international
students nationwide, according to the annual Open Doors report
published by the Institute of International Education.
With 3,979 international students enrolled at UCLA, there has
been a slight decrease from last year, when UCLA enrolled 4,217
international students and placed ninth in the nation.
International enrollment has been steadily decreasing nationwide
since the 2002-2003 school year, according to the report. In 2001,
there were 582,996 international students in the United States, but
by 2006 this number had dropped to 564,766.
Some attributed this decrease to heightened security after Sept.
11, as well as competition from other countries.
“(Recruiting) international students has become
competitive as other countries are competing for students,”
said Bob Ericksen, director of the UCLA Dashew Center for
International Students & Scholars. “There are a number of
efforts taking place in the U.S. now to promote an increase in
international students.”
He also noted that there were a record number of student visas
issued by the United States this year.
Despite these efforts, some international students said they had
difficulty coming to the United States because of increased
security measures.
“I lived in Kuwait … and it was extremely difficult to
obtain a visa,” said Hiten Mulchandani, a third-year
mechanical engineering student.
“A lot of my friends who were planning to come ended up
not coming, and I know people who went back for the holidays and
they couldn’t get a visa to come back into the country
again,” Mulchandani said.
Other students described similar problems with obtaining a visa.
Thomas Lyttelton, a third-year computer science student from
England, said he also had difficulty obtaining a visa and coming to
the United States.
Ericksen said international students can contribute to a
university’s global reputation.
“(Having international students) gives a global
perspective and is critical for our position as a leading
university in the world,” Ericksen said.
Maria Turcios, a first-year history student, said she has
noticed that effect in her classes.
“I found that taking classes with international students
gives me a new perspective on issues and tends to make classes more
interesting,” Turcios said.
International students also cited benefits in coming to the
United States to study.
Lin-Ya Huang, a first-year biology student from Taiwan, said she
chose UCLA because of the resources it will provide her to get a
better job in the future.
In addition, some students said they decided to attend UCLA in
order to reap the benefits of its location.
“I chose UCLA because it is in L.A., the center for
film,” said Paul Speirs, a second-year film student from
South Africa. “(Attending school here) will be beneficial to
my career, and I enjoy the country and everyone is so
friendly.”
International students have financial implications for the
school and the national economy as well; international students pay
out-of-state tuition, which brings billions of dollars into the
American economy every year.
The most popular majors for international students are business
and management, engineering, mathematics, computer science, and
physical and life sciences, according to the reports.
Asian countries send the highest number of international
students. The top-five countries of origin of international
students are India, China, Korea, Japan and Canada, according to
the report. Though India still sends the most students to the
United States, there was almost a 5 percent decrease this year,
while the number of Korean students increased by over 10
percent.