|
|
|
India heads boom to USA
|
|
|
The US tertiary sector is still revelling in an international student upswing. Universities and colleges attribute this continued growth to increased marketing. Nicola Hancox reports.
|
|
|
According to the latest Open Doors report, the number of students enrolling for the first time at a US institution increased by 15.8 per cent in the 2008/09 academic year, while overall international student numbers jumped from 623,805 in 2007/08 to 671,616 in 2008/09.
This consistent growth in both new and overall student numbers highlights the country’s mass appeal when it comes to tertiary education. With competition increasing, however, US institutions cannot afford to be complacent and educators must continue to think hard about the recruitment methods they employ.
“We have had an increase in the number of international students over the past five years. Our number has gone from around eight to 80 representing 40 different countries,” relates Brian Bava at the College of Idaho in Caldwell, ID, and he cites increased international scholarships, greater communication links between admissions and prospective students and developing relationships with agent recruiters as definite catalysts.
Meghan Pace at Angelo State University (ASU) in San Angelo, TX, notes that two years ago international enrolments had all but dried up at the university, but a renewed marketing drive saw enrolments “sky rocket”. She adds, “The university decided to actively recruit international students by participating in foreign college recruiting fairs, web recruiting, print recruiting, and more. ASU has already seen positive results from these efforts.” Adding, “Our South Korean enrolment went from nil to nine.”
International enrolment figures have also been growing at DePaul University in Chicago, IL. Dino Prucoli, Director of International Admissions relates that international rankings – the university recently rated in the top 20 “Great College Towns” as featured in the Princeton Review – have certainly helped raise the university’s profile. Recruitment trips and advertising campaigns have also contributed to the marketing charge he adds.
However, Wade Britt, Vice President International at Kaplan University in Fort Lauderdale, FL, notes that with demand burgeoning, the sector runs the risk of exceeding capacity. “The biggest change supporting growth is the worldwide demand in higher education, which outstrips nations’ ability to build enough physical infrastructure to meet the demand,” he observes. With this in mind, the university has developed an online learning sphere that offers students the flexibility of earning a degree from the comfort of their own home. Providing a free online English assessment for students who do not have Ielts or Toefl test scores may also prove an incentive.
India continues to dominate the international student makeup at US universities – numbers grew from 94,563 in 2007/08 to 103,260 in 2008/09 – an increase of 7.7 percentage points. However, despite the statistics, canvassed institutions cite a varied nationality breakdown. Pace relates that Korean, Mexican and German students are the most numerous on campus, while Bava notes specific relationships with representatives in Rwanda and Bosnia have seen students from these source countries climb.
Steve Arnold at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, ID, observes that Nepal and Japan are their most lucrative sources but he adds that Nepalese students are increasingly transferring onto community college courses, thus making them a less desirable market to recruit from. He also adds that the institute is currently taking steps to diversify its student body. |
|
|
Education Travel Magazine
11-15 Emerald Street
WC1N 3QL
London, England
T: +44 (0)20 7440 4020
F: +44 (0)20 7440 4033
Pacific Office
T/F: +61 (0)8 9341 1820 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
