The number of foreign students enrolled at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Clark University and UMass Medical School fell slightly last year, as the number of such students nationally flattened, according to a new report.
WPI, which has more than 1,800 foreign students, saw a drop of 2.4% from the 2017-’18 school year to the 2018-’19 year, according to the New York-based Institute of International Education’s Open Doors report. Clark, with more than 900 international students, fell by 1.5%, and UMass Medical School saw a 6.5% drop to 158 foreign students.
Another Worcester school typically with a larger international-student population, the College of the Holy Cross, didn’t participate in the report, the Institute of International Education said.
Massachusetts continues to be a major draw for international students, particularly at Northeastern University and Boston University, two Boston schools each landing in the top 10 nationally for their foreign enrollment. Massachusetts is fourth nationally, with a 4.3% increase in the most recent year, and a 28% increase in the past five years.
In the 2018-’19 school year, Massachusetts colleges had more than 71,000 international students, behind only California, New York and Texas. Six of the top 10 states saw drops last year, including California and Texas.
Nationally, the number of foreign students leveled off last year, coming amid both a travel ban from some countries and a tougher rhetoric from the President Donald Trump Administration against immigrants and foreigners. Nearly 1.1 million foreign students were enrolled in U.S. colleges, an increase of 0.05% from last school year.
Among undergraduate and graduate students, however, enrollment dropped 1.9%, marking the second straight year in which numbers of students fell. Enrollment continued rising among other foreign students, which included those in non-degree programs and what’s called optional practical training, those who are working toward or have completed their degree and are allowed to work in training related to their field of study.
