US visa headaches

Bill Barnhart, Director of the International Center at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, UT, says that he has witnessed enrolments decline by eight per cent over the last two years, and has no doubts as to the reasons. “We believe most of [the decrease] can be attributed to delays and barriers in the visa issuing process at US embassies and consulates,” he says.

At Oklahoma City University in Oklahoma City, OK, international enrolments dipped in the spring of last year. “We attribute the decrease mainly to overbooking of visa appointments in India,” says Julie Sinclair, Director of International Admissions at the university. She says student numbers from Taiwan have also decreased recently, although this market, together with India and Korea, remains one of the most important for the university.

Conversely, other institutions in the USA report more positive trends. “We have seen a six-to-10 per cent increase [in international enrolments] for the past six consecutive semesters,” says Preble Girard from McNeese State University in Lake Charles, LA. “We continue to have a strong presence of students from Taiwan and Korea but have also begun to recruit students from countries like Nigeria, Azerbaijan and Nepal.” Girard puts the enrolment increase down to the area’s warm climate, affordable tuition and strong academic programmes, and adds, “We also have non-resident fee waivers and scholarships available for qualified international students, which makes McNeese State University an affordable educational option.”

However, Girard also acknowledges that visa problems are affecting enrolments from some student markets. “We would like to see more students from African countries,” she says. “But these students have tremendous difficulty in obtaining student visas in spite of their solid credentials and scholarship offers.”

Another student market to be particularly affected by visa problems is Saudi Arabia, where rising interest in US study options has been noted due to the provision last year of government scholarships for study in the USA. Despite a massive increase in applications from Saudi students, many universities have yet to see these convert into actual enrolments. “We’ve had over 100 applications, but so far only a few have actually arrived,” says Barnhart. “Most are experiencing delays in the visa application process. Once that is corrected, we expect to see many more.”

With visa issues still curtailing enrolments from some countries, institutions are diversifying their recruitment, and the Internet is playing an increasingly important role to this effect, says Sinclair. “The Internet is more and more important, as well as effective partnerships with agencies, other universities, etc,” she confirms.

An increasing reliance on web-based marketing efforts is a trend noted by others in the industry. Girard says that a recent re-design of their website to cater to international enquiries has been a “successful strategy” for increasing international enrolments, while Ken Bus from Glendale Community College in Glendale, AZ, attests, “The Internet has become the most powerful tool for promoting the college overseas.”

However, a government-backed international marketing policy is also being seen as step forward and recent government input in this direction has been welcomed (see Education Travel Magazine, March 2006, page 53). “I think the outlook is positive for the US international education market,” states Girard. “However, US schools need to be aware of the competition and ensure that programmes remain affordable and of high quality. Additionally, the US needs to further prioritise the processing of student visas in an effort to minimise delays.”