Pressure Mounts on the US as a Study Destination

In the past, much of the world viewed the United States as the promised land of higher education. People traveled to the US for enlightenment and the path to a higher salary and career satisfaction (not to mention for the burgers and fries).

However, President Donald Trump has taken a hard line against immigration of any kind. His attitude and policies are pushing away foreigners. The administration issued a travel ban on those from mostly Muslim countries, which means someone from those nations isn’t allowed to enter the United States. In addition, there are now restrictions on the duration of visas for Chinese graduate students in certain high-tech fields and changes to how "unlawful presence" is calculated for international students and exchange scholars in the U.S.

Whatever the rights and wrongs of these policies, they are creating negative sentiment towards US education, which is driving applicants to look at other study destinations.

Student visa data show that the number of international students at U.S. universities declined last year after years of substantial growth. At the same time Canada reported a 20% surge in international applications, as did Australia.

While brand names, such as Harvard University, will undoubtedly survive and remain popular with everyone, smaller schools could suffer the consequences.

The writing was on the wall in 2018, when educators began speculating about the implications of Trump’s immigration policy. Yet, this might be a good thing for colleges and universities in Europe and Asia, which could see an increase in interest.

What can candidates do? Be open-minded about your options for higher education. It’s no longer “America or bust.” Now, institutions of higher learning around the world are providing excellent programs that lead to personal and professional success in a global economy.

Use all the tools QS puts at your fingertips to find the right fit for you:

·        QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2019

·        QS Global MBA Rankings 2019

For the first time, US institutions are having to work hard to attract international candidates. QS has, for many years, been at the forefront of postgraduate international recruitment and offers a range of services to generate enquiries. In addition, QS Enrolment Solutions is the world leader in supporting university admissions departments to convert enquiries into enrolments.

This article was originally published on LinkedIn.