US loses its educational
edge By Siddharth Srivastava
NEW DELHI - Tightened security in the wake of September
11, 2001, has turned the fears of US universities
into a reality. As part of a trend that set in soon
after the terrorist attacks, foreign students looking to
study in US graduate schools in the past academic year
(October 2003-September 2004) have shown a significant
decline, with a 28% drop in applications and an 18% drop
in admissions.
The sharp declines, based
on responses from 126 institutions, were reported in
a study released last week by the Council of
Graduate Schools, a Washington-based non-profit
organization tracking graduate-school applications. About 88% of US
schools reported a decline in international
applications; 12% saw an increase. Applications from
China, India and Korea - the countries where the
majority of international applications come from -
dropped 45%, 28% and 14% respectively from last year to
this year. The number of admitted students from China
dropped 34%; from India, 19%; and from Korea, 12%.
Engineering applications fell 36%; the number of
admitted students dropped 24%. Programs in the sciences
reported application decreases averaging 20%.
India remains the biggest national source of
foreign students for the United States, with 74,600
students enrolled in US colleges and universities in
2002-03.
The council has named visa-processing delays
after espionage cases involving China and September
11 as the main culprit for the United States' declining
standing as the "classroom of the world". USA Today
quotes council president Debra Stewart as saying several
factors contribute to this fall, including changes to
the visa application process after September 11, a
perception that the US has grown less welcoming of
foreigners and increased competition from universities
abroad.
Lessons from India A look
at the Indian scenario is instructive. A combination
of factors has contributed to this decline, which has
not been easy on students. Fingerprinting has
been introduced as a norm for all travelers to the US
from India. Those applying for a visa to the US have
to undergo an inkless fingerprinting process as part of
the identification check. This is a global and
not India-specific policy implemented post-September 11 that
has elicited angry responses from countries such as
Brazil. Other biometric options such as an iris scans
were also considered, but fingerprinting was chosen
because it was seen as non-intrusive. The process,
images of the two index fingers, takes about 30 seconds.
The digital images are stored in a huge database that is
available at US airports and other ports of entry. On
arrival in the US, fingerprints of the traveler will be
retaken and compared to the fingerprint contained in the
bio-visa.
US Secretary of State Colin
Powell, speaking this year, acknowledged that
"procedural frustrations" could prevent more foreign
students from enrolling in US programs. "We have to do a
better job of attracting them here," he said.
Last month, a new fee was imposed
on foreign students planning to study in the US,
maintaining a trend that began three years ago after the
September 11 terrorist attacks led to tighter security
measures and immigration procedures. Students will have to
pay US$100 for the Student Exchange Visitors System (SEVIS),
a system funded by the Department of Homeland Security
to monitor international students in the US. The fee
goes toward applying for or changing their visa status
and took effect from this September 1. SEVIS requires
universities' international offices to report more than
22 pieces of information on students, including their
current address, date and place of birth, country of
citizenship, disciplinary action due to crime and
conviction, failure to enroll in classes for autumn and
spring semesters, failure to maintain status or complete
the program and name change.
The
US Consular Affairs Bureau in India sought this year to make
verbal English testing mandatory for all student visa
aspirants. The immediate cause for such a move is that
only those students who are proficient in English stand
a chance to obtain the degrees they have applied to
study for. The other reason, not spelled out, is that
students with a better knowledge of English are likely
to be from family backgrounds that make them less of a
security risk.
US immigration lawyer Allen
E Kaye said in a published article: "If the applicant's
Form I-20 [admission acceptance form from a university]
indicates that proficiency in English is required for
pursuing the selected course of study and no
arrangements have been made to overcome any
English-language deficiency, the consular officer must
determine whether the alien has the necessary
proficiency."
Several Indian papers quoted
a memo that was issued to all US consulates: "If
the officer must conduct the visa interview in English,
the applicant can be asked to read aloud from an
English-language book, periodical, or newspaper, and then should
be asked to restate it in English in the applicant's own
words. The applicant may also be asked to read aloud and
explain several of the conditions set forth in Form
I-20."
But it is not just the United States' reaction to
terror that is turning away Indian students. An
editorial in the national daily Hindustan Times
after the release of the council report said: "There
is plenty of evidence to show that Indians still like to
go to the US and that new visa procedures are speed
bumps rather than red lights. A report last year by the
International Institute of Education showed a 12%
increase in Indian students of all varieties in the US.
And while there has been a drop in the number of student
visas being issued to Indians this year, it's only about
minus 5%. US surveys indicate that visa applications by
Indian students have high acceptance rates and
processing delays have fallen in the past two years.
"What could be happening is that after years of
Indian students stampeding almost exclusively towards
the US, the market has now been thrown wide open. The
UK, New Zealand and Australia are all wooing Indian
students, especially for graduate and professional
degrees. The US varsities, once among the best in terms
of value for money, have become exorbitantly expensive.
The bonus of having a good shot at US citizenship
matters less these days - ever more Indians are picking
up overseas degrees but returning home for work.
American universities, which depend on international
students to fill 70% of their science and technology
graduate positions, need to recognize that overseas
students are academically essential and not merely
sources of revenue."
Indeed, an indication of
a shift away from the US becomes more glaring
when compared with an almost exponential growth of Indian
students heading for other countries, though the US
remains by far the most popular destination. Affordable
education, permanent residency, a more conducive
environment as well as employment opportunities are the
main attractions.
The number of
Indian students heading to Australia doubled from 2,800 in
2001-02 to 5,700 in 2002-3 and is expected to rise
to 9,000 students this year. Canada hopes to double its
number of Indian students to more than 5,000 this year. A
study conducted by the British Council and Universities of
UK has indicated that Indian students will be the
third-largest segment of overseas students in the UK by 2020,
outnumbering those from the US, Germany and France. The
study said as many as 29,800 Indians are expected to
study in the UK by 2020 as against 8,600 in 2005. Both
Germany and Britain have introduced flexible visa and
work-permit norms to attract international students.
The last time the US was strict on student visas
was in the late 1980s and the early 1990s. Australia
had then encashed on the opportunity and emerged
as a favored destination for Indian students. Cheaper
education and a favorable exchange rate had then worked
in favor of Australia. This time around, the United States'
loss is again turning out to be other countries' gain.
Siddharth Srivastava is a New
Delhi-based journalist.
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