Business schools are hurting under U.S. immigration law

American institutions of higher learning draw students from not just within the United States, but from all across the globe. U.S. business schools in particular have a global reputation for excellence, but they say they are losing out on some of the best students. Because of current U.S. immigration law, fewer foreign students are applying to study in Louisiana and elsewhere. 

Bill Boulding — the dean of Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business — recently spoke about the dwindling enrollment of international students. Fuqua experienced a 6.2 percent drop in applications for the school’s full-time MBA programs, which it attributes to a sudden decrease in international applicants. Boulding says Fuqua is not unique, and that many other business schools cannot find enough students to fill all of the spots in their MBA programs. 

Boulding travels overseas twice a year to speak with potential students and their parents, and he claims that lately they have been expressing serious concern for student safety. Some may also be concerned about obtaining the necessary documentation to travel to and study in the United States. These worries mean that fewer people are even trying to get into these schools and are opting to attend a university in their home country, a different country or not at all. 

Although there may be some understandable concern among international students hoping to study at an American university, these can typically be addressed through careful and thorough preparation of all necessary documents. Despite current U.S. immigration law issues that are playing out in the media, studying at a Louisiana university can be an incredibly rewarding experience. However, as immigration policies are tightened, hopeful students may want to work with an experienced attorney who can help prepare and review the necessary paperwork.