Number of African Students at U.S. Universities Drops for the Second Year in a Row

In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, it was widely expected that the number of foreign students enrolled at colleges and universities in the United States would decline significantly. But this did not occur, particularly for students from African nations. In 2001 there were 34,217 African students at U.S. colleges and universities. Two years later there were 40,193 students from Africa at American colleges and universities. This was an increase of more than 17 percent.

Now it appears that increased political pressures for homeland security measures have begun to curtail the number of foreign students who are permitted to study at higher educational institutions in this country. In 2005 there were 36,100 African students at American colleges and universities. This is a drop of more than 10 percent in just two years.

Copyright © 2006. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.