President Biden’s meeting with his Chinese counterpart suggests a softening of tensions that experts say could be an ‘important signal’ to Chinese students.

In the 2020/21 academic year, the total number of US students who studied abroad for academic credit declined by 91%, according to new Open Doors data.

International students contributed some $33.8 billion and supported more than 335,000 jobs across the US in the 2021/22 academic year, NAFSA has calculated.

Total international student numbers in the US show a healthy near-return to pre-pandemic levels, as new enrolments “soared” by 80% year-on-year, new Open Doors data suggests.

Some 85,538 international scholars went to study the US in 2021 according to Open Doors data, signalling a 30% fall and a dip below 100,000 for the first time since 2006.

Education organisations in the US are urging the government to develop a strategy to increase international enrolment and exchanges to pre-Covid levels.

The US economy has lost $12.1 billion over two years as a result of declines in international student numbers, NAFSA has calculated.

The number of international students enrolled at US institutions has begun to rebound after a pandemic-related drop, data from a US snapshot survey has suggested, while the Open Doors 2021 has shown a decrease of 15% in international student numbers during 2020/21.