American schools compete for international enrollment
Posted on 7/27/2010
Topics: Choosing a U.S. Institution
International students may believe that only community colleges or smaller schools accept non-U.S. citizens. However, some of the most prestigious schools in America are also competing for the opportunity to enroll international students into their academic programs.
For example, Vanderbilt University sends administrators to Asia and the Middle East to recruit top students, The Tennessean reports. Last year, the school was chosen to host a Confucius Institute to exchange language and culture with students from Hangzhou Normal University in China.
Vanderbilt has a goal of 7 percent international undergraduate enrollment over the next four years. Other schools, such as Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), are also working hard to attract first-year students from overseas. They all have similar motivation, which is forming an early relationship with future global decision makers.
"International student recruiting has become a high priority," Ursula Oaks, spokesman for NAFSA: Association of International Educators, told the news source.
"It puts American students in touch with people from other countries...and bolsters science and engineering programs by filling seats American students don't," Oaks added.
Last year, MTSU's Chinese enrollment grew from 29 to 44 students, and the number of learners from Saudi Arabia increased from 19 to 74. However, international students still make up a small percentage of total enrollment, as only 367 non-native speakers out of a total student body of 23,653 attended the school last semester. About 200 of those learners were enrolled in graduate programs.
Meanwhile, the total number of international students on American campuses grew by 7.7 percent during the 2008-2009 academic year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
For example, Vanderbilt University sends administrators to Asia and the Middle East to recruit top students, The Tennessean reports. Last year, the school was chosen to host a Confucius Institute to exchange language and culture with students from Hangzhou Normal University in China.
Vanderbilt has a goal of 7 percent international undergraduate enrollment over the next four years. Other schools, such as Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), are also working hard to attract first-year students from overseas. They all have similar motivation, which is forming an early relationship with future global decision makers.
"International student recruiting has become a high priority," Ursula Oaks, spokesman for NAFSA: Association of International Educators, told the news source.
"It puts American students in touch with people from other countries...and bolsters science and engineering programs by filling seats American students don't," Oaks added.
Last year, MTSU's Chinese enrollment grew from 29 to 44 students, and the number of learners from Saudi Arabia increased from 19 to 74. However, international students still make up a small percentage of total enrollment, as only 367 non-native speakers out of a total student body of 23,653 attended the school last semester. About 200 of those learners were enrolled in graduate programs.
Meanwhile, the total number of international students on American campuses grew by 7.7 percent during the 2008-2009 academic year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
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