Many of America’s top research universities suffered steep declines in foreign student enrollment this fall, according to two new surveys, and alarmed educators blamed delays in processing American visas as well as increased competition from universities overseas.
“This is a serious problem for our country,” said Peter D. Spear, the provost at the University of Wisconsin, where foreign enrollment declined by 3.8 percent, to 3,435 this year from 3,571 last year. “We depend on international students to provide a good portion of our science and engineering work force,” Dr. Spear said. (Login required.)