US still appealing despite terror fear

International students have continued to apply to American universities in large numbers, despite intense competition from other nations and concerns about terrorism, US officials say.

Universities have reported robust international interest for the academic year beginning in 2002. They said that in many cases the number of applications had increased, while in others it had held steady.

Daniel Obst, programme manager at the Institute of International Education, said: "Campuses still see a strong interest among foreign students."

Even universities in and around New York have fared well. The CW Post campus of Long Island University saw a 33 per cent rise in the number of international applicants and the State University of New York at Stony Brook, 22 per cent.

More than 500,000 international students were enrolled at US universities this year. Officials had expected a decline because of increased competition from institutions in Canada and Australia and because of fears of terrorism.

But June Naronha, president of the Association of International Educators and associate dean for multicultural education at the College of St Catherine, said students from abroad continued to believe there were advantages in having an American degree.

US universities have been required to intensify monitoring of foreign students, and visa rules have been tightened. So whether enrolment in autumn will reflect the surge in applications from abroad is in question.

Visas that used to take three weeks to process are taking eight to ten weeks. Applicants are asked what countries they have visited in the past ten years and if they have "skills or training" in firearms, explosives or chemicals.

In a survey, the Institute of International Education found that nearly half of university officials anticipated problems including delays and denials of visas.