BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP Sept. 23) – After a decade of booming enrollment by students from China, American universities are starting to see steep declines as political tensions between the two countries cut into a major source of tuition revenue.

Several universities have reported drops of one-fifth or more this fall in the number of new students from China.

The numbers had been leveling off because of growing international competition, visa complications and other factors even before the latest tensions with China.

Drops have been reported at such schools as the University of Vermont, which saw a 23% decline in Chinese student enrollment, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, which saw a 20% decrease.

Some schools are stepping up recruiting in other parts of the world and working to hold on to their share of students from China.

READ MORE: Two Lincoln Men Identified In Fatal Crash On I-80 Near Gibbon