Arizona State University ranks fourth among four-year colleges and universities.
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Arizona State University typically welcomes more than 17,900 international students to its four campuses each year, but due to various complications, the university expects only 14,600 international students to participate in a 18% drop this fall.
According to a press release on August 11, international students will account for 7.5% of ASU’s 194,000 students if the forecast is established. By comparison, ASU hosted 18,400 international students in the 2023-24 academic year, with a total enrollment of 183,000, or more than 10%.
According to a university spokesperson, the change was partly due to a decline in master’s applications for international students, but was driven primarily by the challenges of visa appointments.
ASU President Michael Crow told Bloomberg As of early August, 1,000 of the university’s incoming international students (one-third of the new 3,313 students) are still waiting for visas. The spokesman said the university is offering a variety of avenues for students who are unable to access campus, including online courses, studying abroad, starting later in the semester or recruiting partner institutions overseas.
“We expect our international student enrollment to continue to grow throughout the year,” Matt López, vice president of academic enterprise admissions, said in a university press release. “When students hold visas, we will welcome them with open arms and they need to continue their degree courses without delay.”
According to NAFSA, the International Education Association, ASU has the largest share of international students in Arizona, providing the state with $545.1 million in revenue and supporting 5,279 jobs.
According to OpenDoors data for 2023-24, ASU also ranks fourth among four-year colleges and universities, behind New York University, Northeastern University and Columbia University.
Nationally, international student enrollment is expected to drop by about 15% this fall due to changes in federal visa issuance and other actions targeting international students.
