The University of Wisconsin-Madison and UW-Milwaukee have already reported significant declines in international student enrollment, but smaller Wisconsin colleges are also feeling the pinch, according to a report in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Concordia University Wisconsin in Mequon is a prime example.
The private Lutheran school ranks third in the state, behind UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee, in international enrollment, and had about 800 international students last year.
Concordia used to welcome about 50 new graduate-level international students at the start of the fall semester but recently welcomed just one or two — an unheard of number, according to Jennifer Tadeo, director of international recruitment and admissions for Concordia.
The institutions blame Trump administration policies that are not only designed to make it harder for foreign students to study in the U.S., but also to remain here and work after graduation.
NAFSA: Association of International Educators estimates that up to 110,000 fewer international students will attend U.S. colleges and universities this fall.
It calculates the economic cost of this nearly 10% enrollment decline at $3.4 billion in lost revenue and nearly 40,000 fewer jobs.
