US college aid cuts mean foreign students get less

A record 311,882 foreign students are going to college in the United States, but Reagan administration cutbacks threaten the student exchange program, the Institute of International Education says.

About 17 percent of the foreign students had a US source as their prime source of funds, compared with 28 percent in 1976. The institute is concerned that budget cuts will take away the American alternative to Soviet government programs in third-world countries.

The more than 47,000 Iranian students make up the biggest foreign presence on campus, but their numbers decreased 7 percent from last year, according to the report.