Students from Middle Eastern or other Islamic countries have shied away from U.S. universities because of tighter post-Sept. 11 visa laws and a weakened global economy, a study released on Monday said. “It wasn’t so much anti-Americanism but more of a kind of concern that Americans did not want them,” said Peggy Blumenthal of the Institute of International Education that conducted the survey on enrollment in the 2002/03 academic year. “For some students from Islamic countries, this was not the year they were going to come here.” Students from the Middle East were down 10 percent to 34,803, compared with the 2001/2002 academic year, the New York-based institute’s annual “Open Doors” survey found. The decreases included 25 percent drops each from Saudi Arabia (to 4,175) and Kuwait (2,212) and 15 percent from the United Arab Emirates (1,792). Full Story
About OODA Analyst
OODA is comprised of a unique team of international experts capable of providing advanced intelligence and analysis, strategy and planning support, risk and threat management, training, decision support, crisis response, and security services to global corporations and governments.