You are welcome here: US colleges assure overseas students

Washington: Colleges in the United States are ramping up efforts to welcome students from overseas to address worries the country is becoming less friendly to outsiders.

Dozens of schools have produced new online videos as part of a national campaign called "You Are Welcome Here." Purdue University sent its international applicants an email from two mayors touting Indiana's hospitality. The president of Portland State University in Oregon visited students in India to ease concerns.

Some colleges say President Donald Trump's remarks about Muslims and other groups have sent an uninviting message to students overseas.

Data obtained by The Associated Press in response to public records request show nearly half the nation's 25 largest public universities saw undergraduate applications from abroad fall or stagnate since last year.

It's too early to know how many international students will enroll next fall, but colleges say any loss could hurt campus diversity and tuition revenue.