International Students and US University Finances

Shen Lu, Liyan Qi and Ming Li:

One in every four international students comes from China, and Chinese students form a particularly large share of the student body at top U.S. schools. After they graduate, many assume key roles in U.S. science and engineering endeavors.

A big decline in Chinese enrollment could severely cut into schools’ bottom line and damage U.S. competitiveness, say U.S. experts. “The economic costs are apparent,” said Yingyi Ma, a sociologist at Syracuse University who studies international students in the U.S. “The talent cost has even graver consequences.”