INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

International Students

International Students

International enrollment serves as a critical marker of a higher education institution's prestige. The number of students studying outside their home country has risen considerably over the past several decades, a trend that is likely to continue despite the current global economic slowdown, as modes of international delivery and access are ever increasing. Being keenly aware of the financial, cultural and intellectual benefits that international diversity bring to the institution as well as the host country, colleges and universities are increasing their efforts to attract international students. Recruiters and marketers from foreign countries have an increasing presence on campuses worldwide, often offering attractive and sometimes affordable alternatives to studying in one's home country.

Yet successful international recruitment does not ensure positive educational experiences. Once they have attracted foreign enrollment, many higher education institutions throughout the world appear to pay little attention to supporting these students once they arrive. Among those who do choose to study abroad, some have reported a mismatch between what recruiters promise and what is actually delivered once they enroll. There have also been reports of discrimination and hostility against international students who are markedly different from natives of the host country. The majority of the published research has focused on foreign students in the USA but several studies in Australia and the UK echo similar findings.

Understanding international student experiences from an institutional perspective is critical for improving their satisfaction and ensuring their retention as well as enrollment of others from their country. International students frequently share their experiences and levels of satisfaction with peers in their home country, influencing the latter's decisions about whether to study abroad. Therefore, in light of the current focus on foreign enrollment at universities worldwide, combined with a lack of research that explains international learners' choices and satisfaction with their choices, this study explored the experiences of international students at one institution in the USA by their region of origin, their satisfaction with their experiences, and how these experiences influence their recommendations that peers do or do not study at the host institution.

Research

Despite the attention on international enrollment, there is limited empirical research regarding what happens after a student is registered and the extent to which his or her experiences might affect the decision to remain at or leave the institution. To set the context for this study, I begin with a brief overview of changing trends in international enrollment, followed by a review of research on international student experiences. I pay particular attention to the challenges and difficulties of studying in a foreign host environment and suggest that students' experiences may differ depending on their country of origin.

International enrollment

Although the global demand for international higher education is anticipated to increase from 3 million international students in 2009 to more than 8 million in 2025, political, economic and social factors contribute to some uncertainty about the future destination trends for international students. While the USA remains the leading host country, its long-term top-place ranking is not ...