Nearly 4 out of 10 colleges and universities have reported a decline the college applications of international students based on the initial results of a survey on US schools. Most of the drop are reported to be coming from the students from the Middle East.

The survey was conducted on a total of 250 schools according to US News. Even students from China and India have reported a decline for both graduate and undergraduate levels. The concerns expressed by these institutions lead up to the November 2016 US presidential election which was said to have possibly damaged student recruitment efforts.

Among those who responded to the survey, only 26 reported to have seen no change, according to Inside Higher Ed. The decline in the enrollment rates was attributed to the two executive orders signed by President Trump. The first one regarding the immigration-limiting executive order, and the second was the suspension of the US refugee program and banning of immigrants from the six majority Muslim countries for 90 days.

The survey was led by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers in collaboration with the Institute of International Education, NAFSA: Association of International Educators, the College Board and the National Association for College Admissions Counseling.

Nancy Bean, the president of NACAC expressed their disappointment about how the Trump administration has pursued the action. She also added that the negative effects of the ban will not only last for just 90 days for the institutions in the US, and it will also extend beyond the six nations involved.

Enrollment managers and officers said that as they were watching the yield, many international students would have already submitted their applications to US schools until the election of Trump as a president and his executive order on travel ban for the immigrants from the said Muslim countries.

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Tags Universities, Decline, College applications, International students