For the first time in three decades, the number of foreign graduate students enrolling in American univesities is declining.

Will American graduate schools be able to maintain themselves with a declining international student body.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/21/na.../21global.html

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I see two things at work here...

1. European universities are free. American universities are not. So, while there are advantages to sending your child to an American university if you live in, say, Paris, the cost becomes a real factor. The cost of education in the US is ridiculous.

2. While, for years, the American university system has been regarded as one of the best in the world, our primary and secondary schools have been regarding as remarkably underwhelming. The graduates from these schools are going on to American universities, where, among other things, they participate in remedial classes to "learn" things that they didn't learn before. I have sat in a classroom where the professor was teaching grammar... in law school! I was annoyed. Several other students were annoyed (and refused to come to class). I think that sends a message to parents of foreign students that their time and money could possibly be better spent elsewhere.

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Yep, I think the top two complaints I've heard from foreign students in my program are high cost (they pay out-of-state, are required to take a full course load and can't legally work anywhere except on campus) and curriculum. The fact that even "local" students often have to work two or three jobs to pay for school and survive forces academic standards even lower in order to accomodate students' tight schedules.

Yet another issue is the, IMO frivolous, requiring of graduate degrees by employers for jobs that really have no business requiring a graduate degree. This forces a lot of people into graduate school who would really rather not be there.

I think some fundamental changes need to be made to America's job market and educational system in the near future.

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But, if you read the times piece, none of this mattered until 9/11 and the invasion of Iraq.

Is there something else at work here. Are our new immigration laws for students too tough. Can American universities get along without the infusion of foreign cash?

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“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.” - Jane Jacobs

maybe if the last sentence in my post happened grad schools would get enough qualified domestic applicants and companies would fill their jobs with "local talent" rather than begging for more H1Bs.

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My guess is it'll hurt the university research departments who really use these foreign students as essentially slave labor. I'm sure some will disagree... A big story I remember a few years back was that a Professor was making his chinese grad students cater his parties and wash his car. Heh he. Anyway...

I worked in labs all through college and my general impression was that the foreign students had no contacts or family outside of the university and hence did nothing but work. A lot of them were quite miserable. I'm sure they would much rather stay near home.

For non lab science programs online education is really starting to take off here and in Europe. Australia has a huge online program. In many cases an online degree is not distinguised from a normal degree. Coming to the US to rot in some small college town in Iowa for 5 years is no fun for anyone.

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Hear, hear re the H1-Bs. My husband is a business immigration lawyer. He is always shocked at the number of people who complain about visas for computer and science jobs - and yet the numbers of folks in the US taking those courses is on the decline.

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If there were no foreign grad students in my department back when I was in grad schoo in the late 90's I would not be still paying off student loans. I was told point blank that the assistantship fo which I applied and interviewed was given to a foreign grad student to offset how high the international tuition was for this student. This student had zero prior experience for the position. What really upset me was that this was at a state university and my parents tax dollars (and mine) were paying this prejudiced college professor's salary.

Additionally in my present positions I see foreign grad students dominating the arena of full paid grad assistants as schools fail to market their programs to domestic students including how these students can go for free. I feel the decline is a good thing as it will force schools to start marketing their programs towards domestic students and also shift resources to these students so they will not have to inherit large amounts of debt. It never made sense to me that many universities are paying foreign students to go to school and losing out on much needed revenue that could be used to keep tuition low and direct campus based financial aid to domestic students from low SES classes.

Also does anyone wonder how countries like Pakistan were able to develop nuclear weapons? Where do you think these scientists went to grad school? Who do you think paid their way? For the last 40 years we have been training foreign students from around the world in this type of technology without blinking an eye to think about the long term potential ramifications of this practice.

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The companies beg for more H1B visas because they can pay these grads far less than the wages for domestic employees. These foreign students will work for less because they will still make much more than they would make in their home countries (i.e. India and IS/CS jobs). To say there are not enough domestic students out there is ridiculous. Kids are scrambling for jobs in the IS/CS field which has been taking a hit with the wave of outsourcing.

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Chris see my previous posts. With regard to foreign grad students most if not all get assistantships and thus the schools do not get any foreign cash, but actually have to pay out stipends to these students. With undergrads I see your point, as these students do generate more revenue for the schools.

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