The tensions in the Mexico-U.S. relationship that have surfaced since Donald Trump won last year’s presidential election are the main reason for the decrease in the number of Mexican students applying for places at U.S. universities and colleges, according to a report by the American Association of Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO).
The report highlights a 38-percent drop in applications for courses at 261 U.S. universities that start in the fall of 2017.
AACRAO says students began looking at other options soon after Trump’s unexpected victory.
For example, applications to the University of California dropped by 30 percent in November of last year, from 140 to 98. Similarly, the University of Michigan received 87 applications in November 2016, compared with 120 a year earlier.