It appears that international student enrollment may be on the decline in Louisiana. As part of its 2017 Open Doors report, the Institute of International Education put out fact sheets on the states. The fact sheet for Louisiana puts the number of international students in the state at 7,698.
This is 1.7 percent lower than the total from the previous year’s report. This drop represents a fairly dramatic reversal in trends for the state. For, as we noted in a post, last year’s report pointed to Louisiana experiencing a large (14 percent) increase in foreign students.
As a note, there was no change between this year’s report and the one from last year in where Louisiana sits in comparison to other states when it comes to number of international students. In both reports, the state was given a rank of 32nd in foreign student total.
Why do you think the state has moved from a large spike in international students to a small drop in such students?
International students can have a lot to contribute to the education environment here in Louisiana and in rest of the United States. So, what happens with foreign student enrollment levels in the state can have considerable impacts.
What do you think are some of the best things Louisiana has to offer international students? What do see as the biggest challenges such students face in the state? What things do you think most impact how inviting and attractive a state is for international students?