Western Kentucky University expects to be down another 525 students next school year, with international students as one of the biggest drivers of the decline.

WKU President Timothy Caboni recently said the university is coming to terms with that fact by scaling back spending.

“We’ve been intentional about adjusting the budget down for that planned international decrease,” he said in an interview at last month’s Board of Regents meeting. “This is not only a WKU challenge. International enrollments are down in many places across the nation.”

When asked what he attributes that to, Caboni said “part of it is the national conversation and the climate around folks coming to the United States.”

He added: “I think a portion of it is … that other nations have been very aggressive at pursuing international students.”

Along with international students, part-time resident graduate students and full-time resident undergraduate students are driving the anticipated enrollment decline.

The university expects the decline to cost an additional $6 million in fiscal year 2019, which begins July 1.

Gone are the days of the university’s peak international enrollment in 2014.

Stephanie Sieggreen, executive director of International Enrollment Management, said Saudi Arabian and Brazilian students used to be the two largest international populations at WKU.

However, that changed when the foreign government scholarships that supported those students were scaled back, Sieggreen said. Since then, the university has had to diversify its international recruitment, and it is seeing some results.

One downside, though, is the high tuition international students pay to attend WKU.

For undergraduate students, WKU is within the top 5 percent in terms of cost compared to all of its benchmark schools, Sieggreen said. She said the university is trying to change that by considering tuition discounts for internationals.

WKU will continue making changes to its international recruitment strategy, but that change will likely be incremental.

“We know where we’re heading … but it does take time,” Sieggreen said.

Additionally, Caboni said the university is searching for a new vice provost for global learning.

“That individual will be here this fall, and they’re going to work night and day to make sure we can turn the ship on international recruitment,” Caboni said.