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South Asia
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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