With fewer foreign applicants each year, UNM's enrollment figures for international students are beginning to mirror the national trend.
The steady drop in the number of international students applying to study at American universities and the accompanying decline in their enrollment is cause for concern, said Ken Carpenter, associate director of the Office of International Programs and Studies.
Carpenter said the decline in foreign applicants can be attributed to several factors.
Following the attacks of Sept.11, 2001, the federal government enacted new restrictions on individuals seeking visas to come to the United States. As a result, foreign students face increasingly complex paperwork, longer waits and a more stringent security check, he said.
Once admitted to the University, the Office of International Programs and Studies sends foreign students a document they must take to the nearest U.S. embassy, Carpenter said.
Many students have to travel thousands of miles to get to an embassy, he said.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
"Such obstacles could discourage travel to the U.S.," Carpenter said. "But they're only part of the problem."
Jin Chen, an international student from China, said the process to get approved for student status in the United States is a tedious one.
She waited approximately three to four months to receive the necessary documentation to come to the United States and attend UNM.
"The wait for me was long, but I waited, because I wanted a new experience," she said.
Chen said her peers no longer view the United States as the only acceptable option for higher education. Many of her closest friends chose to remain in Beijing.
Security clearances can take as long as six months.
"It can be long enough to delay a student from starting in the program," Carpenter said.
The intelligence reform bill, recently signed into law, bars the State Department from exempting any student from a required personal interview with a consular official.
It may take many months to set up an interview, Carpenter said.
Another factor is the increased competition for international students from colleges in other countries such as England, Canada and Australia. These nations see an opportunity to expand their programs, Carpenter said.
He said while further improvements are needed, there have been some positive developments.
"Secretary of State Colin Powell has been in communication with embassies worldwide," Carpenter said. "He's asked for officials to expedite visas so that students who need to schedule interviews have priority."
Joseph Cecchi, dean of UNM's School of Engineering, said the United States remains competitive.
"We just didn't have much competition in the past," he said.
Cecchi said while many factors contribute to the decline in foreign applicants, the United States simply can't prolong the inevitable.
"We no longer enjoy the prestige we once did," he said. "It's a sign of the times."
More job opportunities are now available to foreign students in their countries, and many prefer to stay closer to home, Cecchi said.
Chen said she shares Cecchi's viewpoint.
"For me, it isn't about us having difficulty getting here," she said. "It's about choice, a preference to go where we'd best succeed."
The majority of UNM's international students are from India and China.
Nearly half of them major in computer science, engineering or chemistry. Their tendency to concentrate in scientific fields increases research funding for UNM, making foreigners especially valuable.
According to Carpenter, 857 international students were enrolled for the fall semester at UNM. Approximately 622 were graduate students.
All Americans benefit when university campuses are internationalized, Carpenter said.
"Many of the students who come here become leaders of their counties," he said. "We all win if they can take home with them a positive experience and better impression of the United States."
