Such initiatives drew praise from U.S. Rep. Bill Delahunt, D-Mass., a senior lawmaker on the Foreign Affairs panel. “If we focus on Africa, we can have success,” he said.
But recent declines in foreign student enrollment remain a concern, several participants said. After dramatic growth in the 1990s, the number of international students attending U.S. colleges declined in 2003 for the first time in 30 years, said George Scott, the director of education, workforce and income security at the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
Despite an increase in international student enrollment this year, growth remains flat for the decade. Some of this is due to new policies that required longer waits for student visas and personal interviews between the U.S. government and foreigners wanting to study in the U.S.
The State Department has shortened some of those visa delays, Scott said, adding that there still are “real and perceived barriers” for international students seeking U.S. study.
Even with those challenges, however, international students continue to earn a high percentage of degrees in science, technology, engineering and math, the so-called STEM fields. In 2003, international students earned 45 percent to 57 percent of all STEM degrees awarded in the U.S., Scott said.
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