Foreign Graduate Student Applications Up 7%

The United States contintues to be a top destination for Asian science talent.

At every level of education it seems, the torrent of international students continues for American institutions.  This time, it is the prospective graduate students, who have increased their applications to American graduate schools by 7%.  Though the article does not specify which degree programs these students are applying to, the countries of origin mentioned, China, Korea, and India, would indicate that many are pursuing STEM degrees.

Great news for the United States, which has gone out of its way recently to lure and keep math and science talent in the US.

American High Schools Joining the Competition for International Students

Phillips Exeter Academy: Halfway to Harvard

The competition for international students is starting even earlier now, with American prep school deans going overseas to recruit students to their schools.  These private high schools have been hit hard by the recession, as parents can no longer   afford to enroll their students in expensive college preparatory programs.  To make up for the shortfall, school headmasters are going overseas to find ambitious high school students who want a head start on that coveted American college degree.

College preparatory schools in the U.S. tend to be very well run, almost the polar opposite of public high schools in the U.S.  The academic rigor and quality of students is comparable to that of the top high schools in Asia, though less competitive.  AP and IB classes are the norm, and the extracurriculars are excellent.  Best of all, American prep schools provide foreign students with the opportunity to polish their english while getting acquainted with their future college classmates: many prep schools serve as “feeder” schools to elite private and public universities such as Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Duke, University of Chicago, University of Virginia, and University of Michigan.

Top U.S. Universities Given Permission to “Fish” in Global Markets

U.S. Studies Center Chief Geoff Garrett has confirmed that top U.S. universities are looking to increase enrollment of international undergraduate students.

“In the wake of the global financial crisis, US state universities were turning to foreign undergraduates for the first time to compensate for funding cuts, Professor Garrett told the HES.  The obvious implication is the market for foreign students will become more competitive because you will have a lot of large and high-prestige universities competing for the students,” he said.  “University of California, Berkeley, is an extremely powerful global brand and Berkeley now wants to attract a lot of foreign undergraduates.”

As well, the cheaper US dollar, plenty of student accommodation and faster visa approval times should give the US an edge. Professor Garrett said American state universities had been told “they can fish in the global market and charge the global price. That’s a very important revenue stream for cash-strapped universities.”  “That’s a big change,” Professor Garrett said. “The University of California has 10 campuses, including Berkeley, Los Angeles and San Diego; top-ranked universities. Until the financial crisis, they weren’t in the market.  After the crisis they will be.”

Dorm rooms like these are a major advantage to American Universities looking to attract foreign students.

US universities – unlike their commuter-based Australian counterparts – also could offer foreign undergraduates established residential infrastructure, he said.  “If you combine their brand power plus their big residential services, that’ll make them very competitive very quickly in the foreign undergraduate student market.””

Residential infrastructure?  He probably means dormitories.  American students deride dormitories and take for them for granted.  However, unlike the housing arrangements in most other countries, dormitories in the U.S. provide a safe and enriching college experience as students are required to live, learn, and inevitably grow around the student’s peers.   Though some dormitories are slightly dilapidated, all are quite habitable and better maintained than the typical housing that surround a University.  Some dormitories are quite nice and are looking to get significantly nicer.

The full article is available here.

Virtual College Fair Starts on March 24-25

CollegeWeekLive.com is an on-line event that lets students and parents chat via text and video with hundreds of colleges and universities nationwide without leaving their computer.  This is a wonderful opportunity for international students to speak to admissions officers directly without having to fly to the U.S.  The first event of the year is this week on March 24-25.  Below, I have listed the schedule for the rest of the year.  Mark your calendars!

Virtual Open Houses

Dedicated days which showcase a specific college or university. Includes live video presentations and virtual booths on topics such as admissions, financial aid, student life, and academics

DATE	EVENT	HOURS (EASTERN)
MARCH 2010
Wednesday & Thursday, March 24-25	CollegeWeekLive SPRING	10 AM to 10 PM
APRIL 2010
Thursday, April 8	The University of Alabama in Huntsville TEXT CHAT
Friday, April 9	University of California, Irvine Non-California and International Students VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE
Saturday, April 10	The University of California, Riverside VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE
Monday, April 12	University of California, Santa Clara TEXT CHAT	6 PM to 10 PM
Tuesday, April 13	University of Florida VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE
Wednesday, April 14	University of California, Santa Clara TEXT CHAT	6 PM to 10 PM
Thursday, April 15	University of Miami VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE	3 PM to 9 PM
Tuesday, April 20	Mount St. Mary’s University TEXT CHAT
Wednesday, April 21	University of California, San Diego VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE
Thursday, April 22	Texas Tech University VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE
Friday, April 23	University of California, Irvine  California Students VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE
Tuesday, April 27	Washington State University VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE
Wednesday April 28	Long Island University Brooklyn-Campus International Students TEXT CHAT	9 AM to 11 AM
Wednesday April 28	Long Island University Brooklyn-Campus Domestic Undergrads TEXT CHAT	7 PM to 9 PM
Thursday, April 29	Wright State University VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE
MAY 2010
Thursday, May 2	University of Northern Iowa Juniot Day TEXT CHAT	2 PM to 6 PM
Friday, May 3	Iowa State University College of Design
Thursday, May 6	CollegeWeekLive FLORIDA DAY	12 PM to 10 PM
Friday, May 7	University of California, Santa Clara TEXT CHAT	6 PM to 10 PM
Sunday, May 16	University of New Haven VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE
Wednesday, May 18	CollegeWeekLive TEXAS DAY	10 AM to 10 PM
Saturday, May 21	University of California, Santa Clara TEXT CHAT	6 PM to 10 PM
SEPTEMBER 2010
Thursday, September 23	CollegeWeekLive TEST PREP
NOVEMBER 2010
Wednesday & Thursday, November 3-4	CollegeWeekLive FALL

International Students Urged to Fill Out U.S. Census

Fill it out please. No schools will be funded without it.

University administrators nationwide are urging international students to fill out a U.S. census report in order to boost the populations statistics of their home counties.  Higher population attracts more funding and political representation for the district.  Sensing some reluctance on the part of international students, administrators want to assure students that the results will not be used to violate privacy nor will it be very hard to complete since it is only ten questions.

Another great outcome of this census survey will be a clearer idea of where international students are studying at in the U.S., which means it will be easier to see which schools like international applicants.  So please, fill it out.

International Students Replace Traditional Out-of-State Students at the University of Wisconsin

The recession has compelled many talented American students to opt for in-state public universities over out-of-state public universities, which cost on average $27,000 tuition/year for a non-resident.  At the University of Wisconsin system, this void in non-resident applications was swiftly filled by a 25% increase in international students, mostly from China and other Asian countries.

Though the State of Wisconsin has suffered budget cuts like most states, the University of Wisconsin is in much better financial shape than most state schools.  This cushion comes from the licensing fees the University received from the Warfarin patent and the licensing revenue it is still receiving from the Vitamin D patent.   Every time someone in the U.S. drinks milk, the University of Wisconsin sees money.

University Builds Special Residence Hall for International Students

Public universities usually spend most of their money on the needs of state residents, often at the expense of non-resident students.  Rarely do universities part with those ever-scarce funds to attract non-residents, especially not during recessions.   This is what makes Oregon State University’s recent international student residence hall project such a feat.   Its not just that OSU had the will to push it through, the project actually had political support: the Oregon State senate approved a $52 million bond measure to fund the new residence hall.   In light of the numerous troubles facing universities right now, this project means:

1) Not every state is reining in its spending on universities during the recession.

2) International students are being courted more aggressively in regions which suffer from a traditional lack of diversity and global exposure.

I’ve been closely watching the trend of universities competing for international students, but not even I would have predicted a $52 million commitment during a recession from a very prolific research university.

Top Public University Attempts to Exempt International Students from Non-Resident Cap

In what might be a promising a promising financial solution for public universities, the University of Colorado is attempting to exempt foreign students from non-resident status.  This would allow the university to admit more international students because the students would not count against the limit imposed on non-residents of Colorado.

The categories would go from:

1. Resident
2. Non-Resident (within U.S. and International)

to….

1. Resident
2. Non-Resident (within U.S.)
3. International Students

For the sake of illustration, let’s pretend the cap on non-residents was 20% and the entering class size was 5000 students.  Under the old system, there would be a total of 1000 seats to be shared by non-resident US students and international students.  Under the new system, 1000 seats would be reserved for non-resident U.S. students and international students would not count against the cap.

Theoretically, the University could admit as many international students as it pleases without affecting the non-resident cap.  Realistically, the university will stick to the goal stated back in July of 2009, which was  to increase the international student body, now at 1,229,  by “50 percent over the next five to 10 years” .

Even if the exemption is not approved, I would have to guess that the University will take seats away from the non-resident US students to make room for the international students.  If this is a start of a trend for cash-strapped states, it would be very good news for prospective international students hoping to study at some of the notoriously resident-focused public universities such as Cal-Berkeley, UCLA, University of Washington, University of Texas-Austin, and the University of North Carolina.