SAN FRANCISCO, June 9: The number of students from Middle Eastern countries at the US universities has dropped significantly since the Sept 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Students are having more difficulty obtaining visas to study in the United States, and those who are admitted face greater scrutiny, according to student and official sources. The visa application process for foreign students in the post-9/11 world is long and difficult.

State Department statistics indicate that from Oct 1, 2002, to Aug 1, 2003, 57,000 fewer student visa applications were filed compared to the same period two years earlier. A total of 270,405 candidates applied and 175,000 were admitted.

In all, the State Department issued 474,000 student visas last year, accepting 74 per cent of applicants - 86,000 fewer than the 560,000 accepted international students in 2001.

University administrators from around the country are pushing the US government to reform the visa process. Secretary of State Colin Powell and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge have also called for Congress to review visa restrictions.

University administrators point out that foreign students contribute 12 billion dollars a year to the US economy. They said that international students also bring energy and ideas to university programmes.