The coronavirus pandemic battered international enrollment. In 2020-21 — the first full academic year of the health crisis — total numbers plummeted 15%, the largest year-over-year decline since IIE began tracking numbers over seven decades ago.
Colleges often say they prize international enrollment because of the diverse talent and perspectives it brings to campus in a time of globalization. But it’s also important for institutions’ budgets because international students tend to pay more for tuition than their domestic peers.