When President Trump announced his administration’s first travel ban in late January, travel to the US got just a little bit more hectic. Even though court decisions have stayed some of the effects, have the administration’s actions made people wary about moving to and studying in the US? We talked with Inside Higher Ed’s Elizabeth Redden about how the political climate may be affecting international students’ applications… and how that could have big-time consequences.

Three Takeaways:

• Redden points out that almost 40 percent of American colleges are seeing downturns in international applicants, with students and families expressing concern over how welcoming the US has become.
• As American universities see fewer applicants, Canadian colleges are seeing an uptick in applications from international students. This is likely to have effects both on recruitment and on university income, as many overseas students pay full tuition.
• But Canadian colleges aren’t just seeing an increase in overseas applications… after the election, they’re seeing an increase in American applications.

More reading:

• We recently talked with former Canadian diplomat Scott Gilmore about why the American dream may have picked up and moved to Canada.
• Here’s Elizabeth Redden’s articles in Inside Higher Ed about the downturn in international applications.
• According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the University of California system is seeing its first drop in international students in a decade.