The number of international students in Arkansas fell by 12% in the 2020-21 academic year to 5,104 students, according to data released by the Institute of International Education.
For all U.S. colleges and universities, the number of international students slid by 15% to 914,095, according to the annual Open Doors report sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.
"The global pandemic covid-19 affected international education and student mobility around the world, and certainly the United States was no exception," said Matthew Lussenhop, acting assistant secretary for the federal Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Data from the Institute of International Education for the 2020-21 year includes students not enrolled at a college or university but still in the U.S. to continue what is known as optional practical training, which allows students in the U.S. on an F-1 visa to remain in the country after graduation for a specified time to work in jobs related to their field of study.
The data for Arkansas showed the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville with the most international students in 2020-21, followed by Southern Arkansas University, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Arkansas State University and the University of Central Arkansas.
India topped all others as the country of origin for the most international students in Arkansas, followed by China, the Bahamas and Japan.
Based on enrollment alone -- so excluding international students in the U.S. for optional practical training -- UA-Fayetteville saw the number of international students dip to 1,211 last fall from 1,408 a year earlier, before the pandemic, according to university data.
Within that total, the number of undergraduate international students fell to 509 students in fall 2020, down from 662 undergraduate international students at UA in fall 2019, according to data provided by the university.
While the pandemic was "one of the primary factors" for the enrollment decline, other "key factors were visa delays, significant drop in international travel, embassy and consulate closures, and global economic downturns," Patricia Gamboa, director of UA's Graduate and International Recruitment and Admissions, said in a statement.
In the first full academic year of the pandemic, there were 92 international students enrolled at UA-Fayetteville but known to be outside the U.S., UA spokeswoman Amy Unruh said.
This fall, UA counted 1,179 international students enrolled, or about 4.1% of all students.
At Arkansas State University, "like most American universities, the past two years have been extremely difficult with global travel restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic," said Thilla Sivakumaran, Arkansas State University vice chancellor for enrollment management and global engagement, to explain a dip in international enrollments.
The Jonesboro campus saw international enrollment slide to 650 students in 2020-21, down from 742 students a year earlier, according to data provided by ASU.
Sivakumaran said that a "major part" of the enrollment process for international students "is their U.S. visas, and to receive visas, students often need to visit the U.S. embassy in their country."
But in some cases, these U.S. embassies were closed as part of a response to covid-19, Sivakumaran said.
He said the number of international students increased this fall to 663 students from 650 last fall. That amounts to about 5.1% of all students, not including ASU's Mexico campus.
The outlook, however, is for further growth, with 94 new first-year international students this fall compared with 28 new first-year international students in fall 2020, Sivakumaran said.
"We know that an education at an American university remains highly valued around the world. Thanks to past two years of waiting, there is a pent-up demand to come to America and enroll," Sivakumaran said.
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock enrolled 439 international students in fall 2020, down from 510 students in fall 2019, according to data provided by spokeswoman Angie Faller.
"UA Little Rock has seen an increase in international student enrollment this year, and we anticipate that continuing to rise back to pre-COVID levels," Faller said in an email.
This fall, UALR enrolled 456 international students, she said. That works out to about 6.1% of total non-high school enrollment.
The University of Central Arkansas enrolled 408 international students in fall 2020, down from 476 international students in fall 2019, according to Phillip Bailey, UCA's associate vice president for Global Learning and Engagement.
In addition to the pandemic, Bailey, in a statement, said that declines could be attributed "to geo-political factors that led to international students choosing to study elsewhere," such as Australia and Canada.
Bailey said restrictions on Chinese travel also affected international enrollments across the U.S. and "in Arkansas where Chinese students are normally the second largest group in the state."
This fall, UCA enrolled 385 international students, Bailey said. This works out to be about 4% of non-high school enrollment.
The Conway campus is conducting a national search to hire a director of international recruitment, Bailey said, and also "targeting a return to 500 international students," or about 5% of overall enrollment.
Southern Arkansas University enrolled 255 international students in fall 2020, down from 284 international students in fall 2019, said spokeswoman Shelly Whaley.
But the Magnolia campus this fall saw a surge in international student enrollment, to 332 students, Whaley said. This is about 8.1% of the university's non-high school enrollment.
"Applications are increasing already as travel restrictions have eased," Whaley said in an email.