BSU's international enrollment nosedives

MUNCIE — International-student enrollment at Ball State University began collapsing like world oil prices in 2014 and still hasn't recovered.

The number of international students at BSU is down 43 percent in recent years:

• 2014: 793.
• 2015: 646.
• 2016: 567.
• 2017: 454.

Ball State, which once had aspirations to enroll 1,000 international students by 2017, is concerned about the decrease and is taking steps to try to halt it.

International students benefit U.S. colleges and college towns in a number of ways, including economically, according to the Institute of International Education (IIE).

In 2016, more than 1 million international students brought $39 billion to the U.S. economy, through spending on tuition, room and board, and living expenses.