2017 International Enrollment Hot Topics Survey

Survey Dates: September 12, 2017 – September 26, 2017

Once again, our group of higher education associations is jointly surveying its members/member institutions to gather data regarding trends on your campus from the Fall 2017.

About the Survey:
The partner organizations are: American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), American Council on Education (ACE), Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), College Board, Council of Graduate Schools (CGS), Institute of International Education (IIE), National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), and NAFSA: Association of International Educators.

The purpose of this survey is to obtain feedback on current events and trends in the field that may impact your international student enrollments for this academic year (starting in Fall 2017). By sharing this information with the international education community and the media, we hope to develop a wider understanding among the press, the general public, and policy makers at state and national levels, about how higher education institutions continue to be affected by the various factors which impact international enrollments. Please note that for the purpose of this survey, an international student is defined as anyone studying in the United States on a non-immigrant, temporary visa that allows for academic coursework.

Instructions:
Please answer the questions to the best of your ability. All institutional-level responses will be anonymous and only aggregated information will be shared. We ask for your contact information only to ensure that no more than one reply is received per institution, and to facilitate follow up if there are any questions. If you are not the best contact for this survey, please forward it to another colleague on your campus who may be able to complete it.

A summary of the results will be posted on the websites of all the cooperating organizations on November 13, 2017 and distributed to the media in a joint press release. We will send our members copies of the press release as well, in case your school wishes to tailor it for local media use, inserting your own enrollment figures and relevant quotes from campus officials.

Please respond by September 26, 2017 so that we may include your responses in the findings that we report to the press and public during International Education Week in November 2017.

Thank you very much for participating in this short survey, which should take no more than 15 minutes to complete.

Click here for a printable worksheet.

Topic: Enrollment and Recruitment

Question 1: Please indicate the total number (estimated, if need be) of international students enrolled in your institution during Fall 2017.

International undergraduate students

International graduate students

International non-degree students*

Students on Optional Practical Training**

* Non-degree students are defined as students in exchange programs, Intensive English Programs, certificate programs, continuing education, and non-credit programs or classes, as well as all other international students enrolled at your institution that are not pursuing a degree.

**For this survey, Optional Practical Training includes both students who are pending and approved as of the date that you are completing this survey.

Question 2: How many of the total international students were NEW students (i.e., enrolling at a U.S. campus for the first time) in Fall 2017?

Include international students from all academic levels.

Question 3: For each place of origin listed below, provide the total number (estimated, if need be) of international students enrolled in Fall 2017.

Include international students from all academic levels.

Africa, Sub-Saharan

Asia (excluding China & India)

Canada

China (excluding Taiwan and Hong Kong)

Europe (including Turkey and Cyprus)

India

Latin America & Caribbean

Middle East & North Africa

Oceania

Do not have data at this point in time

List of places of origin in each world region.

Question 4: Describe the enrollment of new international students on campus in the Fall 2017 compared to the Fall 2016.

Increased
Decreased
Stayed the same
Do not know

Question 4a: If you have seen an increase in the number of newly enrolled international students (at all academic levels), what do you believe are the major reasons for this increase?
You may select more than one item.

Institutional changes:

Economic and other factors:

Question 4b: If you have seen a decline in the number of newly enrolled international students, what do you believe are the major reasons for this decline?
You may select more than one item.

Students' decisions to:

Stay home and enroll in their own country’s higher education institutions
Enroll in another country’s institutions (other than the U.S.)
Enroll in other U.S. institutions

Students' concerns about:

Securing a job in the United States after their studies
Securing a job in their home country after their studies
Visa application process or visa delays/denials
Fee payments related to SEVIS
Potential problems at the port-of-entry
Physical safety in the United States (e.g., gun violence, civil unrest)
Social and political environment in the United States
Feeling unwelcome in the United States

Institutional factors:

Cost of tuition/fees at U.S. host institution (including financial assistance issues)
Lack of sufficient institutional support staff for recruitment and admission of international students
Lack of sufficient institutional resources (other than support staff) for recruitment and admission of international students
Changes in admissions criteria and/or processes at U.S. host institution

Economic or other factors:

Home country political and/or economic problems
Changes in foreign government-sponsored scholarship programs (e.g., Saudi Arabia, Brazil, etc.)
Other, please specify:
Do not know

Comments: Please use this space to provide any further comments about enrollment successes, challenges, or concerns.

Question 5: What countries are you prioritizing for outreach and/or recruitment?
You may select more than one item.

Question 6: Looking ahead to the next year’s recruiting cycle for international students who will enroll in the Fall 2018, how concerned is your institution about maintaining or increasing the numbers of international students?

Region/Country	Very Concerned	Somewhat Concerned	Not at all Concerned	Do not have students from this region/country
Africa, Sub-Saharan	Africa, Sub-Saharan, Very Concerned	Africa, Sub-Saharan, Somewhat Concerned	Africa, Sub-Saharan, Not at all Concerned	Africa, Sub-Saharan, Do not have students from this region/country
Asia (excluding China & India)	Asia (excluding China & India), Very Concerned	Asia (excluding China & India), Somewhat Concerned	Asia (excluding China & India), Not at all Concerned	Asia (excluding China & India), Do not have students from this region/country
Canada	Canada, Very Concerned	Canada, Somewhat Concerned	Canada, Not at all Concerned	Canada, Do not have students from this region/country
China (excluding Taiwan and Hong Kong)	China (excluding Taiwan and Hong Kong), Very Concerned	China (excluding Taiwan and Hong Kong), Somewhat Concerned	China (excluding Taiwan and Hong Kong), Not at all Concerned	China (excluding Taiwan and Hong Kong), Do not have students from this region/country
Europe (including Turkey and Cyprus)	Europe (including Turkey and Cyprus), Very Concerned	Europe (including Turkey and Cyprus), Somewhat Concerned	Europe (including Turkey and Cyprus), Not at all Concerned	Europe (including Turkey and Cyprus), Do not have students from this region/country
India	India, Very Concerned	India, Somewhat Concerned	India, Not at all Concerned	India, Do not have students from this region/country
Latin America & Caribbean	Latin America & Caribbean, Very Concerned	Latin America & Caribbean, Somewhat Concerned	Latin America & Caribbean, Not at all Concerned	Latin America & Caribbean, Do not have students from this region/country
Middle East & North Africa	Middle East & North Africa, Very Concerned	Middle East & North Africa, Somewhat Concerned	Middle East & North Africa, Not at all Concerned	Middle East & North Africa, Do not have students from this region/country
Oceania	Oceania, Very Concerned	Oceania, Somewhat Concerned	Oceania, Not at all Concerned	Oceania, Do not have students from this region/country

List of places of origin in each world region.

Comments: Please use this space to provide any further comments about recruitment improvements, challenges, or concerns.

Topic: Current U.S. Social and Political Climate

Question 7: How has the current social and political climate in the United States impacted current or prospective international students?
You may select more than one item.

Positive Impacts:

International students have cited the U.S. social and political climate as an attraction to study in the United States
International students have expressed feelings that they are welcome
International students have become more unified and active on campus due to the U.S. social and political climate
There has been an incident on campus or in the community that has brought the student body together in support of international students
Other, please specify:
No positive international student perceptions or reactions to the U.S. social and political climate
Do not know

Negative Impacts:

International students have cited the U.S. social and political climate as a potential deterrent to study in the United States
New international student enrollments declined due to the U.S. social and political climate
International students have expressed feelings that they are not welcome
International students have expressed the desire to leave or left the United States as a result of the current U.S. social and political climate
There has been an incident on campus or in the community that has targeted international students in a negative manner
Other, please specify:
No negative international student perceptions or reactions to the U.S. social and political climate
Do not know

Institutional Response:

Our institution has:

Comments: Please use this space to provide further information about the impact the U.S. social and political climate has had on current or prospective international students.

Topic: Enrollment from Select Muslim-Majority Countries

Over the past year, several U.S. policies have been released that may impact international student enrollments, such as the Executive Orders 13769 and 13780 (“travel bans”), which placed limits on travel to the United States from selected countries.

Question 8: For each place of origin listed below, provide the total number (estimated, if need be) of international students that accepted admission to your institution for Fall 2017, the number of new students that arrived on campus in Fall 2017, and the total number of international students from each place of origin in the Fall 2017.

Include students from all academic levels.

Descriptions	# of students that accepted admission for Fall 2017	# of NEW students that arrived on campus in Fall 2017	# of continuing students enrolled in Fall 2017	Do not have students from this place of origin
Place of origin				-
Iran	Iran	Iran	Iran	Iran, -
Iraq	Iraq	Iraq	Iraq	Iraq, -
Libya	Libya	Libya	Libya	Libya, -
Somalia	Somalia	Somalia	Somalia	Somalia, -
Sudan	Sudan	Sudan	Sudan	Sudan, -
Syria	Syria	Syria	Syria	Syria, -
Yemen	Yemen	Yemen	Yemen	Yemen, -
World Total	World Total	World Total	World Total	World Total, -

Comments: Please use this space to provide further information about enrollment of international students from Muslim-majority countries.

Topic: Students from Conflict Areas

This question seeks to better understand the unique challenges and institutional responses to help prospective and current international students whose country or citizenship is from an area experiencing political and social conflict: Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Iraq, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan South Sudan, Syria, Turkey, Venezuela, and Yemen.

Question 9: Considering both prospective and current international students at your institution from all conflict areas, what challenges have they experienced when applying or enrolling?

You may select more than one item.

Question 10: Considering both prospective and current international students at your institution from all conflict areas, how has your institution addressed their challenges in applying or enrolling?

You may select more than one item.

Comments: Please use this space to provide further information about recent global conflicts’ impact on prospective or current international students.

Topic: International Students from China

Question 11: Considering the enrollment of Chinese students on your campus, how concerned is your institution about the following potential challenges?

You may select more than one item.

Topics	Very Concerned	Somewhat Concerned	Not at all Concerned
Authenticating application documents (e.g., recommendations, essays)	Authenticating application documents (e.g., recommendations, essays), Very Concerned	Authenticating application documents (e.g., recommendations, essays), Somewhat Concerned	Authenticating application documents (e.g., recommendations, essays), Not at all Concerned
Falsified admission test scores	Falsified admission test scores, Very Concerned	Falsified admission test scores, Somewhat Concerned	Falsified admission test scores, Not at all Concerned
English-language preparedness	English-language preparedness, Very Concerned	English-language preparedness, Somewhat Concerned	English-language preparedness, Not at all Concerned
Academic preparedness	Academic preparedness, Very Concerned	Academic preparedness, Somewhat Concerned	Academic preparedness, Not at all Concerned
Integrating students on campus	Integrating students on campus, Very Concerned	Integrating students on campus, Somewhat Concerned	Integrating students on campus, Not at all Concerned
Academic integrity (e.g., proper citation and referencing)	Academic integrity (e.g., proper citation and referencing), Very Concerned	Academic integrity (e.g., proper citation and referencing), Somewhat Concerned	Academic integrity (e.g., proper citation and referencing), Not at all Concerned
Engaging students in the classroom	Engaging students in the classroom, Very Concerned	Engaging students in the classroom, Somewhat Concerned	Engaging students in the classroom, Not at all Concerned
Too many Chinese students on campus	Too many Chinese students on campus, Very Concerned	Too many Chinese students on campus, Somewhat Concerned	Too many Chinese students on campus, Not at all Concerned
Not enough Chinese students on campus	Not enough Chinese students on campus, Very Concerned	Not enough Chinese students on campus, Somewhat Concerned	Not enough Chinese students on campus, Not at all Concerned

Other, please specify:
Not aware of any concerns
None of the above are concerns at my institution
Do not have students from China

Question 12: How has your institution sought to support, integrate, and retain international students from China?

You may select more than one item.

Comments: Please use this space to provide further information about Chinese student enrollment on your campus.

Topic: Final Thoughts

Overall Comments: We would appreciate any other thoughts and observations.

We plan to share some of your comments and ideas with the press and public, but will not provide your individual name or contact information unless you give us permission to do so.
To give us permission to use your name, please check below.

Yes, I would like to give permission to use my name.

Institutional Information:

Please indicate your name and contact information, which will be kept confidential.

We ask for your contact information to ensure that no more than one reply is received per institution, and to facilitate follow up if there are any questions. Please also provide your institution’s UNITID. To look up your UNITID, please refer to this document.

UNITID:

Name of Institution:

Name of Respondent:

Title of Respondent:

U.S. State:

Zip Code:

Telephone:

Email:

Thank you very much for your participation!

Please make sure to print this page before submitting the survey if you want a copy of your submission.