Terrorist attacks fail to deter overseas students in US

US educators do not expect a fall in international student exchanges because of this autumn's terrorist attacks.

University study-abroad officials surveyed by the Institute for International Education reported that only "a very few" of the international students at American universities had left the United States. And, despite a threatened anti-terrorism crackdown on international student visas, the number of international students registering for the admission test to enter US universities in autumn 2002 was up 15 per cent.

International education is a considerable market. Foreign students poured $11 billion (£7.7 billion) into the American economy, the institute reported.

A record 547,867 international students enrolled at US schools last year, according to figures released by the institute, up 6.4 per cent on the previous year - the largest increase since 1980.

The news was also good for other nations that enrolled large numbers of Americans. Some 97 per cent of American university officials surveyed said that most students were proceeding with their plans to study abroad.

"The lasting ties that Americans make during their international studies are important to our country in times of conflict as well as in times of peace," said Allan Goodman, the institute's president. "This is a time when our world needs more international exchange, not less. The terrorists wish to make us close our minds, our borders and our markets to the rest of the world."