“These are tremendous numbers,” said Susan Schauer, vice president for enrollment management and student success. “Certainly, they’re buoyed by our impressive retention strategies that we’ve implemented over the last several years.”
Undergraduate enrollment at Wright State University rose to 7,963 students this fall, a 4.7% increase from last year.
“The momentum we are experiencing and the positive energy related to Wright State’s future are noticeable, and that feels promising,” said Wright State University President Sue Edwards.
But the university, like many throughout the country, saw a decrease in the number of new international students. Overall, new, undergraduate international student enrollment fell by about 11%, according to Wright State numbers.
Other public Ohio universities have gotten fewer international students than Wright State, Schauer said.
Universities across the country have seen a decline in the number of international students on campus this year after President Donald Trump’s administration made changes to student visa requirements.
The U.S. State Department required prospective students to make social media accounts public to screen out students deemed to have hostile attitudes towards the U.S. government, according to a State Department announcement over the summer.
American universities seek out international students because they often pay full tuition. American students are more likely to get scholarships and are eligible for Pell Grants, which are for low-income students.
Other universities have announced budget cuts due to fewer international students. Schauer said the university made budget plans in the spring expecting there would be fewer international students and the university had more international students than predicted in the spring’s plan.
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