美国高校国际学生入学人数连续下降

U.S. enrollment of international students declined for the second year in a row, sending waves of unease across American colleges and universities, which see students from abroad as a buffer against the falling number of U.S. high-school students graduating each year.

The number of new international students enrolling at American institutions fell by 6.6 percent during the 2017-18 academic year, on top of a 3.3 percent decline the year before, according to a report by the Institute of International Education released last week.

The drop takes the number of new students back to the level seen three or four years ago.

At the University of Central Missouri, foreign enrollment surged to 2,600 in 2016 before plummeting to just 650 this year, according to data obtained by the AP.

At Purdue University, one of the nation’s biggest hubs for international students, total foreign enrollment fell by 2 percent this year.

Meanwhile, the total number of international students in the United States plus those working there on a student visa rose by just 1.5 percent this year. That was down from average annual growth of 6.1 percent over the past decade, a period during which enrollment of international students doubled.

Similar to previous years, the largest numbers of students came from China, India and South Korea, which together made up 56.1 percent of all international students.

The United States is also losing students to English-speaking countries such as Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom, which have all seen growth in the past year.

Canada reported a 20-percent jump in 2017, while Australia saw a 12-percent increase.

Students from abroad are still flocking to the coasts, but are less interested in the South and Midwest.

Foreign students are big business: They pumped US$42 billion into U.S. college and university coffers in the 2017-18 school year alone.

International students have become an important funding source for U.S. colleges. Most undergraduate foreign students do not qualify for need-based financial aid and must pay close to full tuition and fees to attend U.S. schools.

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【骤降】zhòujiàng

plummet fall straight down, plunge

【金库】jīnkù

coffers a treasury, funds

美国大学国际学生的入学率连续第二年下滑，令美国各大学深感不安。在美国高中毕业生人数连年下降的情况下，美国大学都把海外留学生视为缓冲力量。

据美国国际教育学会上周发布的报告称，2017-18学年，美国各大学新入学国际学生的数量减少了6.6%，而上一年的下降率为3.3%。

这导致美国各大学新入学国际学生的数量退回到三四年前的水平。

美联社获得的数据显示，在中央密苏里大学，外国学生的入学人数在2016年激增至2600人，今年则骤降至650人。

而作为美国最大的国际学生接收地，普渡大学今年外国学生的总数下降了2%。

与此同时，美国的国际学生总数加上持学生签证在美国工作的人今年仅增加1.5%，低于过去10年平均每年6.1%的增长率，过去10年招收的国际学生的人数增加了一倍。

和前些年相仿，美国大学国际学生的最大来源国是中国、印度和韩国，来自这三个国家的国际学生占到总人数的56.1%。

在招收国际学生方面，美国还输给了加拿大、澳大利亚和英国等英语国家，过去一年，这些国家的留学生数量都在增长。

加拿大2017年的留学生人数增长了20%，澳大利亚增长了12%。

海外留学生仍在涌向美国沿海地区，他们对南部和中西部不那么感兴趣。

国际学生给美国大学带来了大笔收入：仅在2017-18学年，他们就为美国各大学贡献了420亿美元（约合2916亿元人民币）。

国际学生已成为美国大学重要的资金来源。大多数就读本科的国际学生不符合申请经济资助的条件，必须接近全额支付学费和其他费用。 (Chinadaily.com.cn)