For Manjunath Narayana of India, coming to the United States for graduate school was a no-brainer.

“I think America offers the best education – especially if you’re in a technical field,” the Kansas University engineering graduate student said.

KU wants lots of students like Narayana. In a post-9/11 world, KU and universities nationwide find themselves in a global competition for the international scholar.

But after several years of declining international student enrollment at KU and elsewhere in the wake of 9/11, the outlook appears to be changing.

Total foreign graduate student enrollment at U.S. universities increased for the first time since 9/11, according to a recent report by the Council of Graduate Schools. The numbers were driven by a 12 percent increase in the number of students enrolling for the first time.

At KU, first-time enrollment is up about 7 percent, from 166 new international graduate students last year to 178 this fall.

Though the report points to an optimistic turn, educators say KU and universities across the nation aren’t in the clear.

“We can’t be complacent,” said Stuart Heiser, spokesman for the Council of Graduate Schools. “The competition is only going to get harder.”

Filling a void

With a dearth in American students going into the sciences, universities turn to international students to fill positions and keep the research enterprise moving.

“The number of U.S. citizens going on for graduate school has frankly not been enough to fill the schools and to conduct the research,” said Don Green, the Deane E. Ackers distinguished professor of chemical and petroleum engineering at KU.

Diana Carlin, dean of the graduate school and international programs, said many international students enroll in what is called the STEM disciplines of science, technology, engineering and math.

“All of these grants that we get – many times faculty would not have graduate students or post-doctoral students if we didn’t have the international students,” she said.

They’re filling a real void in our domestic production of students in these areas, she said.

The students often also pay international student tuition rates, which are higher than in-state rates.

And Carlin said international students also enhance the campus culture.

“Education has become global,” she said. “All students need to learn how to work in this International environment.”

Enrollment increase

Foreign student enrollment at KU and other U.S. institutions – on the upswing before 9/11 – declined following the terrorist attacks as the U.S. made it more difficult for students to receive student visas and study in the United States.

At KU, total international student enrollment dropped from 1,677 in 2001 to 1,500 in 2005.

Joe Potts, director of KU’s International Student and Scholar Services, attributed the declines to several factors, including the increased difficulty in getting student visas.

“Much of the world feels very, very negatively about the U.S.’s activity abroad right now, particularly in Iraq,” he said. “And it does affect people’s decisions on where to study.”

As new processes made the move to the United States tougher, other countries such as Britain and Australia saw the opportunity to lure those students to their schools.

The result: America has lost market share of international students.

A recent report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development found that while the number of international students studying outside of their home countries increased by 41 percent between 2000 and 2004, the United State’s percentage of the international education market declined from 25 percent to 22 percent. That decline came as countries such as Australia, France, Japan and New Zealand saw increases in their share of the market.

Possible solutions

Some are optimistic about this fall’s enrollment.

Total international student enrollment at KU is up for the first time since 2001, climbing about 5 percent to 1,579 students this fall.

Staying competitive in an increasingly competitive world is a challenge, Carlin said.

Carlin said KU needs more scholarships for international students.

And she said the schools need to review their graduate programs to keep pace with new and developing programs overseas that are competing for the students.

But, she said, changing something that universities have traditionally done well at isn’t easy.

“We have done graduate education very well in this country for a long time,” she said. “So, it’s really hard when you’ve done it well and you’re still very good at it to see any reason to change, even if the rest of the world is out there doing things differently and competing with you.”

Potts said other countries have stepped up to the plate with national efforts to recruit international students, something the United States has not done.

“Universities have to make hard choices with the budgets being what they are,” Potts said. “They aren’t getting any help to speak of from the U.S. government. It’s too bad because long-term there are great benefits to the United States as a nation to have a lot of international students coming in.”