PNW’s international student enrollment has dropped by 50% since 2016 – 14 times higher than the overall national rate of less than 3.5%.

In 2016, international student enrollment was 760. Spring 2020 data shows 385 international students enrolled at PNW.

As a result of the decline, the university has lost more than $12 million in tuition and fees. State residents pay a composite credit hour tuition and fee of $260.42 while international students pay $588.45 per credit hour. This discrepancy contributes to the school’s funding gap.

“We anticipated a decrease in international students,” said George Kacenga, executive director of the Office of Global Engagement. “In response, International Admissions has been implementing new strategies to recruit new international students. As of today, international freshmen applications are up over 75% compared to this same time last year, but it remains unclear what that will mean for the Fall 2020 class.”

International enrollment began to decline in 2016, about the same time the United States began to increase immigration and visa restrictions. Institute of International Education reports the number of international students enrolled in U.S. colleges declined by 3.42% between the 2016-2017 school year and the 2018-2019 school year.

The Trump administration has proposed or implemented regulations that make it difficult for international students to remain in the United States to work after graduation.

However, PNW administrators say the drop in international enrollment was primarily affected by budget cuts some nations imposed on the scholarship programs that finance international studies.

“The slowing of the scholarship programs from the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Higher Education and Ecuador has had a significant effect on enrollment in the U.S.,” said Marsha Gordon, director of the International Students and Scholars Services.

The cuts have not had the same impact on some other nations that have experienced record international student enrollment. For example, international enrollment has increased by 68% in Canada since 2014 and by nearly 47% in Australia between 2015 and 2018.

The shifts in international enrollment forced PNW to rethink its approach to attracting students.

“Without those programs funding the international students, International Admissions had to increase its recruitment efforts,” said Kacenga. “It takes time, but Purdue Northwest’s affordability, location, strong academics and position as a premier metropolitan university continue to attract students from throughout the world.”

 “There are a variety of strategies we can employ to recruit international students, one of which is working with recruitment agencies who can speak with prospective student families in the local languages and provide market intelligence to our professional staff,” Kacenga said. “We look to organizations like the American International Recruitment Council to help identify reputable partners. We also establish articulation agreements with partner universities abroad so students can complete a year or two in their home country and then transfer to PNW to complete their degree.”