冠状病毒会导致美国留学生减少吗？

Priscilla C. of Holland Village in Singapore has a bright future ahead of her. The 17-year-old has been accepted to study economics at Stanford University in California. She hopes to begin her studies this autumn.

But Priscilla, who asked VOA not to use her full name, fears the ongoing¹ coronavirus pandemic will have a major effect on her college experience.

She worries about travel restrictions². She also worries about the United States' uneven³ actions taken to fight the disease outbreak. And she wonders whether she will even be able to attend college classes in person in the fall.

"It's added a lot of stress and uncertainty⁴ to the process," she said. "The most exciting thing about deciding to become an international student was attending college in California, and now there's a big possibility that I won't physically⁵ be on the campus I was dreaming about."

She said she trusts that schools will do what they feel is best for their students. But even if colleges do re-open in the fall, Priscilla says she will still probably have health and safety concerns. And, she and her friends fear they may miss out on many traditional college experiences and memories.

Other international students with plans to study in America have similar thoughts and concerns. And, experts worry the effects of the pandemic could cause problems for colleges and universities.

The Institute of International Education, or IIE, does a yearly count of America's international students using State Department data. During the 2018-2019 school year, the IIE found there were over 1,095,000 international students in the U.S. This represents 5.5 percent of the total college student population.

But the number of new, first-time international students studying at American colleges and universities was 7 percent lower than the year before.

The coronavirus crisis is making it more difficult for international students hoping to come to America, observers say.

Philip Altbach is director of the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College. He says international students were already dealing⁶ with the rising cost of American higher education before the coronavirus pandemic. And, the belief that the U.S. has become less welcoming to foreigners is widespread.

Because of the pandemic, the U.S. has a travel ban on foreign visitors from China and Europe. About 34 percent of international students that come to the U.S. are from China, the IIE reports.

Christopher Rim⁷ is the chief executive officer of Command Education, a New York-based college advising company. He says many of the students his company works with are from places like Hong Kong and Shanghai. He says many of them have been considering other choices for international higher education.

Some U.S. schools have already said they will re-open in the fall. But it is still unclear how classes will operate in many cases.

The possibility remains⁸ that that many American colleges and universities will reopen online. That means that international students who remain in their home countries may have to take classes in the middle of the night. It also means they will not get the traditional experiences of living in shared housing and taking part in campus events.

Rim said, "They're not paying a $70,000 or $80,000 tuition to sit in front of a computer in their bedroom or their living room at home."

Rim noted⁹ that a decrease in international students coming to the U.S. would present a serious financial problem for schools and their surrounding communities. International students added over $44 billion to the nation's economy in 2018, the U.S. Department of Commerce reports.

But James Hundreiser of the National Association Of College And University Business Officers argues that the threat to American higher education is not so great. He says schools no longer have as much financial dependence¹⁰ on international students' tuition as they once did. And the quality of online education is actually very good.

"I actually wonder if this will open up the doors to...more international students...because of those who can't afford to necessarily travel overseas," said Hundreiser. "We know that affordability¹¹ is an issue for not only American students, but also international students."

Priscilla C. still plans to study at Stanford, even with her concerns. So do her friends who also have plans to study in America. And even if there is a decrease in the number of international students, Altbach, Rim and Hundreiser all agree that it will not last long.

"Students around the world still see the U.S. as one of the best higher education systems in the world, and the American society, even with the current problems that we face, as an attractive place to be," Altbach said.

I'm Dorothy Gundy.

And I'm Pete Musto.

Words in This Story

pandemic – n. an occurrence in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people over a wide area or throughout the world

outbreak – n. a sudden start or increase of fighting or disease

stress – n. a state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in your life and work

uncertainty – n. the quality or state of feeling unsure about something

exciting – adj. causing feelings of interest and enthusiasm

campus – n. the area and buildings around a university, college, or school

tuition – n. money that is paid to a school for the right to study there

afford – v. to be able to pay for something

society – n. the people of a particular country, area, or time thought of especially as an organized community

attractive – adj. having a feature or quality that people like

1 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

2 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

3 uneven   

adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的

参考例句：

• The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
• The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。

4 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

5 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

6 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

7 rim   

n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界

参考例句：

• The water was even with the rim of the basin.盆里的水与盆边平齐了。
• She looked at him over the rim of her glass.她的目光越过玻璃杯的边沿看着他。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

10 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

11 affordability   

可购性

参考例句：

• Performance-Based Logistics Affordability: Can We Afford Categorical Conversion to Performance-Based Acquisition? 基于性能的后期的可承受性：能否担负得起向基于性能的采办的无条件的转变？
• There would be no crisis of affordability, as't for food or clothing. 就想食物与服装一样，因为供给没有危机。