A mixed methods study identifying the effect of U.S. immigration policy on economic conditions as impacted by international student enrollments at select four-year private nonprofit colleges and universities in Boston, Massachusetts

Abstract

This study uses a mixed method case study analysis to explore the artifacts gathered by a learning community to understand how immigration policies under the Trump Administration impacted international student populations at select four-year private nonprofit higher education institutions and the local economy in Boston, Massachusetts from Fall 2016 to Fall 2019. During the 2018 - 2019 academic year, a total of 71,098 international students contributed a total of $3.2 billion into the Massachusetts economy (IIE, 2020). The intent of this mixed methods research study was to explore if the Trump Administration's immigration policies affected international student population enrollment in post-secondary institutions in the U.S., specifically to identify if such policies affected economic conditions in Boston, Massachusetts. There were a total of three central themes and three subordinate themes found in the study which led to answering the study's research question: How did the Trump Administration's immigration policies impact international student enrollments at select four-year private nonprofit colleges and universities in Boston from Fall 2016 through Fall 2019, and how did these changes affect economic conditions in Boston? The overall impact of the research will be beneficial to policymakers, educators, international students, local business owners, and economists. The research conducted could help shape future immigration policies that do not affect international students from studying in the United States. The findings from this research will help recommend changes within U.S higher education institutions and the Federal Government to attract more international students to study in the United States.--Author's abstract