A new report says the number of international studentscoming to American colleges and universities fell last year, for the third straight year.The report, from the Institute of International Education,found that the number of newly admitted foreign studentsdropped by 1 percent in the autumn of 2018, compared to the year before.This follows decreases of 7 percent and 3 percent in the two years before that.Those were the first drops in attendance in more than 10 years.The decreasing numbers of foreign students is an issue for many schools in the United Statesthat have come to depend on tuition payments from them.Foreigners are usually charged higher amounts than U.S. citizens are.Some schools blame President Donald Trump's comments about immigrants for keeping students away.However, the State Department, which paid for the new report, dismissed the idea.Caroline Casagrande works in the department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.She said the high cost to attend U.S. schools frightens students.She also said the decrease is linked to studentswho were seeking admission to college during the presidency of Barack Obama.She added that the numbers appear to be going back up under Trump."What we've seen today is a dramatically better picture compared to last year's declines,"Casagrande said during a telephone call with reporters.She added that the Trump administration has provided"more resources than ever to international student mobility."While fewer new international students are coming,the study found that more are staying for specialized training after they finish college.More than 220,000 were given permission to stay for temporary workthrough a federal program, an increase of about 10% over fall 2017.China continued to send more students than any other country,followed by India, South Korea and Saudi Arabia.However, years of growth from China have leveled off.The number of Chinese students in U.S. schools rose by less than 2%.Some colleges and universities have noted major decreasesin Chinese students signing up for classes.At the University of Alabama, the number of Chinese studentshas dropped by 43% over the past two years.At the University of Iowa and at Kansas State University,Chinese enrollment fell by about a third in the same period.Education experts have blamed the drop in Chinese students on several things.Chinese students have reported difficulty getting U.S. visasin the middle of a trade war between the two nations.Universities in Australia and Canada have worked harderto interest Chinese students in their colleges and universities.Also, some educators say concerns over academic espionage,or spying, have fueled anti-China feelings at U.S. schools.State Department officials said they are working to ease tensionsand persuade Chinese students to study in the United States.Casagrande said the department is working hardto make sure that Chinese students know they are welcome here."We want these Chinese students here," she added.The State Department recently sent a group to Chinato speak in support of academic exchanges.U.S. Ambassador Terry Branstad recently wrote an opinion piecein a Chinese youth publication inviting students to study in the U.S.The report also found that far fewer students are coming from Saudi Arabia.This began in 2017 when Saudi officials cut back on a programthat provided money to study around the world.There were also drops in students coming from South Korea, Japan and Mexico.The report also noted that growing numbers of students from Asia,Latin America and Africa want to study in the United States.Numbers from Brazil and Bangladesh jumped 10% last year,while Nigeria increased 6%.In recent years, many universities have increased advertising and recruiting effortsin those areas as they look for ways to make up for losses from China."More institutions are expanding their outreach in more regions,"said Mirka Martel, with the Institute of International Education."This growth demonstrates how attractive a U.S. education is for students around the world."And I'm Bryan Lynn.