US Colleges See Drop In International MBA Students

The decline in international students setting their sights on M.B.A. programs in the U.S. means more of them are looking elsewhere — to Europe and Canada in particular, The Wall Street Journal reported.

CarringtonCrisp, a consultant for business schools, reported that nearly half of the prospective students it surveyed were potentially looking to Canada for their degree this year — an increase from the 38 percent found a year ago. In addition, the Journal reported that the Imperial College Business School in London’s international applications for the fall jumped 55 percent, partly due to a rise in applicants from Asia.

The reasons for the shift range from pandemic travel restrictions to higher tuition rates in the U.S. to the political climate in the country, marked by increasing U.S.-China tensions and shifting immigration policies. As well, some applicants are just interested in studying closer to home in light of COVID-19.

The Journal said that M.B.A. programs in the U.S. had already seen a 14 percent drop in foreign applications in the previous year. About 40 percent of the applicants to U.S. business schools last year were international students, who often pay full freight in tuition and fees.

“We are seeing candidates who would have traditionally looked at Ivy League schools in the U.S. in the past,” said Teresa Pires at the Queen’s University Smith School of Business in Kingston, Ontario. Pires, associate director of recruitment and admissions, said that “because it may be harder to stay in the U.S., securing permanent residency, job security, they just feel like it’s a safer bet here.”

Also, U.S. colleges have dealt with demands to cut the cost of tuition and fees as many classes go online or follow a “hybrid” model. For instance, students at the University of North Carolina System and the Pratt Institute in New York City filed lawsuits seeking tuition and fee refunds for spring because the schools had switched to online classes.