JESSICA MERRIFIELD / Scroll
Avinavah Sharma, a freshman from Kathmandu, Nepal, in U.S. since January, works at the McKay Library.

Fewer international students into U.S., more at BYU-I

Dallin Moon MOO00004@BYUI.EDU Scroll Staff

Stricter homeland security regulations have caused foreign student enrollment to go down at many universities since Sept. 11, 2001. BYU-Idaho continues to enroll more international students, going against this trend.

“This year we have 427 foreign students on campus,” said Mike Oswald, assistant Dean of International Students. During the 2005 Winter Semester, BYU-Idaho enrolled 404 international students. “Based on history, we’ll see more international students. Church demographics are growing and parents will send their children here.”

While BYU-I continues to increase in international numbers, other universities have decreased in enrollment since Sept. 11. Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. had 261 foreign students last year, whereas 2005 rings in 158. The number of foreign students at the University of Utah this fall is 1,502, down from 1,562 in 2004. Utah State University has fallen from 792 in 2004 to 741.

Universities are concerned because international students add diversity and contribute to the economy. During the 2003-2004 school year the Association for International Education estimated that international students and their dependents contributed more than $12.7 billion to the economy.

“Students have more hoops to jump through,” Oswald said. “The enforcement and reporting process has changed. For example, international students must pay a $100 SEVIS fee.”

SEVIS is the Student Exchange and Visitor Information System. To track students, the U.S. government requires exchange students to submit enrollment dates, address changes, school violations and their last semester into the system. SEVIS is a new program since Sept. 11.

Contrasting to other schools’ international student prevalence, BYU-I sister-school Brigham Young University had a small increase in the number of foreign students. Fall 2005 numbers report 2,261 international students, up from 2,253 in 2004.