Five Solutions to Reverse the Declining Popularity of the U.S. Among International Students

According to the author of this paper, the declining U.S. share of the global population of international students may prove troublesome for the U.S. economy. In 2022, the U.S. had 15% of the global share, a sharp decline from 28% we held in 2000. As many of these students possess skills in short supply in the U.S., show remarkable entrepreneurial abilities, and have started companies employing huge numbers of Americans, the U.S. needs to ramp up its attention to this issue, or other nations, like Canada, the U.K. and Germany, will continue to increase their share of the international student population, to the detriment of the U.S. The paper explores five policy solutions to this problem: expand the employment and residency alternatives for international students after graduation; expand the extra-curricular employment alternatives for international students during their studies; eliminate or modernize the interpretation of immigrant intent when considering student visa applications; maintain inclusive and welcoming policies for Chinese students; and learn good practices from other countries to make the U.S. a more attractive destination for international students.

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