For large numbers of international students, U.S. community colleges are the gateway to U.S. higher education. Community colleges offer lower cost, high quality programs in a wide variety of disciplines in smaller class sizes. At the same time, admission requirements are more flexible than at four-year institutions. International students seeking a U.S. bachelor's degree can spend their first two years at a community college (receiving an associate degree) and then transfer to a four-year institution for their final two years of study. The latest "Open Doors" report (November 2004) issued by the Institute of International Education, reports a 10 percent decrease in the number of international students enrolled in associate degree institutions in the U.S. This article presents the opinions of community college administrators across the country, solicited by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), about the possible reasons underlying the recent decline.