Trump Is Putting Foreign Students Off Coming to America, Universities Claim

Universities have blamed President Donald Trump for a dip in foreign student enrollment, citing his anti-immigration stance as a contributing factor.

Per a report from Politico, foreign student admissions to U.S. universities dropped by 3 percent in the 2016-17 school year and is expected to rise to 6 percent in the 2017-18 school year, according to data from the Institute of International Education.

It is the first time in more than a decade that the number of foreign admissions to U.S. universities has dropped.

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Donald Trump has been blamed for the falling numbers of foreign students in the United States. Reuters

The U.S. appears to be in the minority in its failure to maintain high numbers of foreign students, with competing countries like Canada, Australia, China and New Zealand boasting a double-digit increase in foreign students.

"There is no doubt that President Trump's much-publicized antagonism toward Muslims and migrants has sent out negative messages to students who would otherwise have America at the top of their list as a study destination," Phil Honeywood, CEO of Australia's international education association, told Politico.

The Wall Street Journal reported in March that the number of visas issued to foreign students had also fallen, with statistics from the State Department showing that in the year ending September 2017 there had been a 17 percent drop in F1 student visas.

And a number of American universities have made it clear they lay the blame at the feet of the current president, with 32 higher education organizations submitting an amicus brief to the Supreme Court over Trump's travel ban.

"The Proclamation jeopardizes the vital contributions made by foreign students, scholars, and faculty by telling the world in the starkest terms that America is no longer receptive to them," the brief said, according to the Association of American Universities.

Trump's ban has also seen staff turning down jobs, and overseas scholars refusing conference invites.

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