International students infuse tens of millions of dollars into local economies across the US. What happens if they stay home?

From The Conversation: “A $44 billion economic impact … Higher education is America’s 10th-largest export, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis (Yes, even though students are coming into the U.S. for their education, economists consider it an export). Last year, U.S. colleges and universities attracted international students from 217 nations and territories, including one student from the island nation of Niue in the South Pacific. Their economic contributions added up to more than the value of U.S. telecommunications, computer and information services exports combined.”