Global Standing and International Outlook of Top Ranked Universities in the United States of America: International Student Enrollment Decline

Abstract

Postsecondary institutions in the United States of America have long enjoyed a high global standing with respect to reputation and international (i.e., non-U.S.) student enrollment. U.S. institutions tend to dominate rankings of world universities and have been a very important option for international students seeking a higher education at the undergraduate (i.e., baccalaureate) and graduate (i.e., postbaccalaureate) levels due to the extensive number of available institutions. However, current and projected international student enrollment is declining. The purpose of this article is to highlight the global standing of top ranked U.S. universities as well as briefly comment on the current environment that threatens all U.S. institutions’ outlook as a desirable location for international students to matriculate. Substantively, this threat has been argued in the literature as related to the policies of the current Trump (i.e., U.S. President) administration.