STOPPING FOREIGN STUDENTS

FOREIGN STUDENT enrollments at American universities barely grew last year, and mere are fears mat, for the first time since the second Wbrld War, the number of foreign students studying here will decline. During the 2002-03 academic year there were 586,323 foreign students in the United States, up less than a percent from the previous year, according to the Institute of International Education (HE). The he also found that a large jump in enrollments from Asian countries-mainly China, India, and South Korea-masked a huge falloff in students from Middle Eastern countries. The number of students from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait each fell by 2$ percent, while those from the United Arab Emirates decreased 16 percent.

While economics are a factor, the main culprit appears to be tough new student visa requirements implemented for security purposes in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks. The rules apply to all applicants, though those from 2$ countries with suspected ties to terror groups undergo particularly close investigations.

Victor C. Johnson, associate executive director for public policy at the National Association of Foreign Student Advisors: Association of International Educators (NAFSA), says the HE findings reflect those found in their own survey of 300-plus schools. Roughly two thirds of those schools reported stable or lower foreign enrollments this year, results that "might suggest" there will he an actual decline next year. Why? "For the first time ever, the United States has put into place a policy that deliberately makes it difficult for students to enroll," Johnson says. The rules particularly affect Arab males and all science students, regardless of where they're from.

Clearly it's not in America's economic interest to lose students to other countries. If the trend continues, it could eventually harm national security, Johnson says. Historically, America has been the leader in educating the future leaders of foreign countries, a role that's given the U.S. a network of influence in those countries.