When Kimberly Go first came to the United States for college, her plan was to work here for a few years after graduation before returning to her native Philippines.

Now a junior at Northwestern University, Go is rethinking her future. She said she's concerned about how President-elect Donald Trump might change immigration policies, and how it could affect her — and prospective students from abroad.

"I'm definitely mentally preparing myself to maybe go back home more immediately," said Go, 20, who is studying economics and journalism. "I don't know what Trump is going to say. The whole thing is more uncertain and it makes it more uncomfortable."

As college application deadlines approach this month and next, admissions officials will be watching how a Trump presidency affects interest from international students, a population that has increased significantly during the past decade. A sizable decline in international student enrollment would strike at a significant source of revenue for universities and could undermine efforts to create diverse campuses.

So far, Trump has been inconsistent with his statements on immigration. He said he favors allowing international students to stay in the country but also has criticized the H-1B visa program, which allows non-immigrants to work in specialty fields for up to six years. He also has talked about banning Muslims and cracking down on illegal immigration, making some foreign students feel like they may not be welcome.

Nearly 897,000 international students enrolled in U.S. universities in the 2015-16 school year, according to the nonprofit Institute of International Education. More than 147,000 others were doing Optional Practical Training, a designation that allows those with student visas to work in the country temporarily.

International students account for about 5 percent of all U.S. college students, and, as a group, contributed nearly $36 billion to the U.S. economy in 2014-15, according to the institute.

In Illinois, more than 50,000 foreign students brought an estimated $1.6 billion to the state in 2015, according to a study by NAFSA: Association of International Educators.

About 11,000 of those international students are at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, which ranks fifth nationally for the number of students from abroad, according to the institute. About 23 percent of U. of I. students are from abroad, including 1,050 new international freshmen who arrived in the fall, the vast majority from China, India and South Korea.

Interest remains strong for next fall, with a 2 percent increase in applications from international students compared with this same time last year, said U. of I.'s undergraduate admissions director, Andy Borst.

"We'll see what happens with enrollment," Borst said. "We're still not getting any concerned calls from students or parents."

Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune International student Sora Kanaji, 18, attends Joliet Junior College, seen on Dec. 2, 2016. He is from Japan and wants U.S. citizenship to get a law enforcement job here. International student Sora Kanaji, 18, attends Joliet Junior College, seen on Dec. 2, 2016. He is from Japan and wants U.S. citizenship to get a law enforcement job here. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)

At UIC, there are more than 3,100 international students enrolled this year — about 11 percent of the student population and a 21 percent increase from two years ago.

The number of foreign students at U. of I.'s campus in Springfield has more than quadrupled since 2012, from 242 to 1,088. They now make up one-fifth of the student population.

Tuition and fees from international students are a significant source of revenue for the three U. of I. campuses, particularly at a time when state money has been unreliable at best. International students at the Urbana-Champaign campus pay more than twice as much as in-state students, for example.

And while tuition will not increase next year for Illinois residents, international students at the Urbana-Champaign campus will pay 1.8 percent more, to nearly $30,000.That compares with the $12,036 in base tuition paid by Illinois residents.

Students at Joliet Junior College pay more than triple the tuition paid by in-district residents.

Dayna Crabb, the international student services coordinator at the junior college, said a recruitment visit to Vietnam last fall illustrated how much the election was on the minds of prospective students, who peppered her with questions and asked her which major candidate she supported.

"That was alarming for us as recruitment professionals to see that it's impacting their decisions that much," Crabb said. "These girls said they would race home after school to put on the news or watch what happened at the debates. I felt like these high school students in other countries probably were more in tune with what was going on than even our own local students."

Indeed, some research indicates international students kept a close eye on the U.S. election and said the results would impact their decision about whether to study here.

A study of 40,000 students conducted by Intead, a firm that advises colleges on global marketing, and FPPEDUMedia, which runs student-recruitment fairs abroad, found 60 percent of students said they were less likely to study in the U.S. if Trump won. By comparison, fewer than 4 percent of respondents said they would be deterred from studying in the U.S. if Hillary Clinton won.

Northwestern University sophomore Wenyi Xu, who is from China, said even the perception of being inhospitable to immigrants could make foreign applicants jittery.

"I think what makes the United States great is that it's very diverse with people coming from all backgrounds to contribute to this country," said Xu, who is studying political science. "If people are discouraged from this idea that they have equal opportunity to make this country great in the first place, they will not come."

Changes in immigration policy can affect interest in educational opportunities abroad, some experts said.

Jill Welch, deputy executive director of public policy for NASFA, said the United States lost thousands of international students amid more stringent, post-9/11 visa regulations.

"We're in a global competition for talent and students have choices," Welch said. "Other systems have gotten more competitive. There are full-degree programs being offered in English around the world now. We've lost 6 percent of our market share due to this increased competition, frankly to countries with friendlier immigration policies."

The Institute of International Education's President Allan Goodman said, however, that foreign students have continued to come to the United States during years of war, health crises and terrorism. With few exceptions, the number of international students has increased every year since the late 1940s, according to the institute's figures.