Preliminary numbers from the IIE show the early impact of pandemic on international mobility in the US, with a survey of 1,670 institutions suggesting a drop of 13,055 international scholars in the last academic year.
The Institute of International Education has announced a $3.1m China-US Scholars Program to support 48 Chinese and US faculty and students during 2021-22.
Dual intent should be permitted during F-1 visa applications to the US, while issues around Chinese student ties to the military may hamper US attempts to recruit more students going ahead, stakeholders have said.
The numbers of US outbound students joining study abroad programs for academic credit rose 1.6% in the 2018/19 academic year.
New international student enrolments fell 43% in fall 2020, a survey has revealed, while the Open Doors 2020 report has shown that total international students in the US has declined for the first time in more than a decade.
Some 50% of US higher education institutions that took part in an IIE survey have reported that international student application numbers are lower than in previous years, 18% said they saw a “substantial decline”.
Having committed $1m to help international students in the US, the IIE is in the process of distributing another $1m to aid a further 300 students.
Most (88%) US HEIs anticipate that international student enrolment will decline in the 2020/21 academic year; 30% anticipate a "substantial" decline, reports IIE.
