Since the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11th, the fraction of foreigners among incoming physics graduate students in the US has taken a dive, according to a recent report by the American Institute of Physics.
After climbing for decades to a peak of 55%, the fraction of new physics graduate students who were noncitizens shrank by 10% in the past two years. The AIP report estimates that around one-fifth of foreigners accepted to study physics were at least initially prevented from enrolling in 2002 because they were not allowed into the US. Hardest hit in terms of percentage were students from China—who make up the largest single block of foreign physics students—and the Middle East.
Top-ranked physics departments suffered the least, with 10% of accepted noncitizens denied entry to the US, compared with more than 20% at lower-ranked PhD-granting and 40% at master’s-granting departments....
