COVID-19 and Fall 2020: Impacts on U.S. International Higher Education. A WES Survey of Prospective Students

World Education Services. Bowling Green Station, PO Box 5087, New York, NY 10274. Tel: 212-219-7300; Fax: 212-739-6100; Web site: http://www.wes.org

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18

COVID-19; Pandemics; Higher Education; Outcomes of Education; College Students; Foreign Students; Student Attitudes; Immigrants; Intention; Enrollment; Risk Assessment; Travel; Educational Trends; Course Selection (Students); Online Courses; Study Abroad; College Choice

In any given year, World Education Services (WES) interacts with many thousands of internationally educated students who are hoping to enroll in public and private higher education institutions across the U.S.; WES also interacts with the institutions themselves. The COVID-19 pandemic, as well as social, political, and policy factors, have shaped the fall term on campuses nationwide. To assess the impact of these developments, WES conducted student surveys in April, June, and August. These surveys captured the views of prospective students -- both international students who study on temporary student visas and internationally educated immigrants with more permanent status in the U.S. The authors refer to these two categories of students as "international students" and "internationally educated immigrants" (or sometimes simply "immigrant students" or "immigrants") throughout this report. This report focuses on results from June and August. WES released the findings of the April survey and one additional survey, which examined the views of international higher education professionals, in a report issued earlier this year. This report addresses the findings about the varying perspectives of the two groups of prospective students: (1) International students are individuals who require a student visa, typically an F-1 or J-1 visa, to pursue education in the U.S.; and (2) Internationally educated immigrant students are those who (a) are looking to pursue a U.S. education, (b) have attained other educational credentials abroad, and (c) have obtained any form of permanent or immigrant status in the U.S. This includes permanent residents, U.S. citizens, refugees and asylees, and those holding immigrant visas. All of these students were residing in the U.S. at the time of the survey. The distinction between these two groups of students is important. The views of immigrant students are easily lost in the international education conversation, as these students are typically classified as domestic students for the purpose of enrollment, though they often hold educational credentials from another country and have grown up or spent a significant amount of time abroad. They are an important segment of students, particularly given the decline in enrollments among domestic students that began a decade ago. As of 2018, immigrant students and second-generation U.S. citizens represented nearly 28 percent of all U.S. higher education enrollment.

ERIC

2021

ED610521