Regional

Study Abroad Still Popular After Sept. 11 Attacks

The following is a brief overview of the Institute of International Education’s online survey about how the September 11 terrorist attacks affected international educational exchange. For a complete analysis of the survey results, the news release and a summary of the discussion board responses, please visit the IIENetwork Web site at http://www.iienetwork.org.

Major Findings of the Electronic Survey for Fall 2002:

• International educational exchange continues to be seen as equally or more important after September 11, 2001, than prior to the attacks. Ninety-eight percent of the international education professionals responding said that international educational exchange, including study abroad, is regarded as more important (46 percent) or equally as important (51 percent) on their campuses in the aftermath of September 11. These findings confirm the initial response of educators polled six weeks after the attacks last fall, when 97 percent reported that international education is of equal or greater importance on their campus.
• Study abroad is more popular than ever. Approximately two-thirds of the educators reported that 2002-03 applications for study abroad have either continued to increase or remained the same on their campus. Forty-two percent of the respondents saw an increase in the number of U.S. students applying for study abroad programs in 2002-03, and 31 percent reported no noticeable change in the number of applications or requests for information on study abroad.
• International student interest continues to increase. Asked about the number of applications from international students for the 2002-03 academic year, 41 percent of the respondents reported an increase and 32 percent reported no noticeable change. While it is too early to report final enrollment numbers for the current academic year, international student enrollments appear to be steady or rising, with 33 percent of respondents reporting that the total number of international students enrolled on their campuses has increased since last year and 35 percent saying they have not seen any noticeable change.
• Enrollments of students from selected major Islamic countries are generally holding steady. However, some educators reported a dramatic decrease in enrollments of students from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and one institution reported a double-digit drop in Indonesian students.

For complete survey results, go HERE.

Canada

Canadian Universities Benefit from 9/11 Aftershock

The number of foreign-student applications at the University of British Columbia (UBC) rose 43 percent this year to 4,029, compared with 2,814 in 2001. Simon Fraser University and the British Columbia Center for International Education have also reported substantial increases in foreign-student enrollments since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.

University officials attribute much of the increase to fallout from the attacks. Amid current security concerns, they say, many international students fear that getting a visa to study in the United States would take too much time and bother. Canadian schools are taking advantage of the situation and marketing themselves as inexpensive and viable alternatives to U.S. colleges and universities.

According to the Canadian Bureau of International Education, more Arab governments are considering sending their students to Canadian institutions of higher education than they were a year ago.

The biggest surge in applications has come from the Muslim world. At UBC, for example, applications from Bangladesh rose 342 percent, while those from Nigeria increased 271 percent. Likewise, applications from Kuwait are up 300 percent; those from Saudi Arabia and Oman were up 250 percent and 200 percent, respectively.

With the implementation of policies designed to restrict immigration, and amid reports of isolated but well-publicized incidents of anti-Muslim harassment after the terrorist attacks, many international students, particularly those from the Muslim World view the United States as being hostile to foreigners.