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International Student Enrollments: 
embracing the challenge


Kerry Geffert
Product Evangelist, Terra Dotta

Look around your campus and think of those who have the toughest jobs on campus. Somewhere toward the top of that list will be our colleagues from the Admissions Offices. On few others within the campus environment does the entire fate of the institution hang. Yes, without certain staff members, the campus could descend into chaos, and without faculty there would be no teaching; however, without the work of the Admissions Office staff, there would be no students. No students, no university. It’s a daunting responsibility to create a class.
 
Since before 2000, college and universities have enjoyed steady increases in the number of high school graduates from which they could build a class. However, according to the 2016 report Knocking at the College Door: Projections of High School Graduates, we are now in a decade-long plateau.1 Except for the top-tier institutions which consistently have highly competitive applicant pools, many admissions offices now face a growing challenge of attracting sufficient applicant pools from which they can admit – and then retain – large enough classes to meet projected enrollment goals. 

International student enrollments, therefore, serve an important role in bolstering those enrollment figures. While we all believe that international students add to the diversity and culture of our campuses, we would be naïve to neglect the important financial role they play. With most undergraduate international students paying full tuition, they provide additional tuition revenue to help balance that paid by domestic students. And graduate students help by filling slots in programs sometimes shunned by domestic baccalaureate students enticed by attractive salaries in the private sector. For a time, it was working.
 

Then it began to change. The first slowing of enrollment growth appeared in fall 2016, prior to the U.S. presidential election, when IIE reported the enrollment  of new international students declined for the first time in at least 12 years.2 Several reasons were cited by IIE, most having to do with what they called “a mix of global and local economic conditions” as well as competition from students’ home countries. However, The Chronicle of Higher Education had put out an earlier cautionary alarm in November 2015.3 

While these indications in the Open Doors data were concerning, the alarm bells rang louder in January 2017 when the first of presidential three travel bans were announced. Those events, combined with a growing nationalistic movement within the U.S., created a ripple effect with lasting concerns over the future of international education in the United States. Consider these additional events and factors:

  • Competition from other countries continues to mount: Germany, in 2013, set a goal of 350,000 international students by 2020; it reached that goal in 2016-2017. Australia saw an uptick of 15% in 2016 over the previous year.4 Even Russia has its eyes on greater enrollments from the West with recently announced measures that include more programs offered in English and faster visa processing.5
  • Canada recorded almost 500,000 international students at all levels, including approximately 371,000 at the post-secondary level, according to figures released by the Canadian Bureau for International Education.6 This total number represents a 20% increase of the previous year, and exceeded a 2022 goal of 450,000 international students set in 2014.7 The CBIE report cited the top three reasons for choosing Canada: 1) quality of education, 2) tolerant and non-discriminatory society, and 3) safe reputation.
  • China has steadily improved its stature as an international education host country. The PIE News recently reported that the country enrolled “a record 489,200 students in 2017….maintaining double digit percentage growth.” Regional influence, in particular, appears to be a driving factor according to senior analyst Kevin Prest, based in China for the British Council.8  This at a time when the U.S. is considering visa restrictions for Chinese students and scholars in some disciplines.9
  • June 2018 – The U.S. Supreme Court upholds the third travel ban. While the ban may directly affect a relatively small number of students coming to the United States, students from those countries already in the U.S. are at risk should they leave the country. Jill Welch, Deputy Executive Director for Public Policy at NAFSA released a statement saying in part, “While universities and colleges work tirelessly to welcome international students and scholars, the chilling effect of this policy and the uncertainty for our international students and scholars will undoubtedly continue the current downturn in U.S. international student enrollment as the world wonders whether America will hold true to our values.”10
  • Finally, and perhaps most sobering are two articles that have appeared in just the past few weeks. “Should America’s Universities Stop Taking So Many International Students?” appeared in late June in The Atlantic.11 Reporting on a university presidents’ panel held at the Aspen Ideas Festival, the article is more pro-international education than what the title leads the reader to believe. What may be more concerning is that the question is even being asked. In an increasingly polarized country, it would appear that we in international education will find ourselves explaining the basic benefits of internationalization.
  • The other article asks an important question from a student’s viewpoint. Stacy Teicher Khadaroo reflects on the growing inhospitable perception held by prospective students and their families, as well as the challenges confronted by American institutions in combating those perceptions. Her piece, “International students to US: Do you really want us?” appeared in The Christian Science Monitor.12 This seemingly widespread concern by those looking to pursue their education outside their home country presents a considerable barrier that international recruiters and admissions colleagues must overcome.

 

All Is Not Lost! 

 

With increased competition, growing nationalism and xenophobia, and concerns of an unwelcoming reception, the challenge set forth before Admissions Offices would appear insurmountable. However, we must remember that even with all the negativity, over one million international students are currently calling the United States their temporary home. And many more still aspire to pursue their studies and their research at our colleges and universities. The challenge before us is to identify those concerns over which we can exert any control and address those challenges with positive actions. Here are a few ideas and suggestions in which all of us can play roles:
 
Embrace the #YAWH movement – The message #YouAreWelcomeHere is spreading around the U.S. and around the world. More than 300 colleges and universities are using this hashtag to let international students know that they have a place at those campuses. Through videos and other social media you have a powerful way to bring positive attention to your campus diversity by enlisting the support and involvement of all segments of the campus, and the local community. When resources permit, consider offering a pair of #YouAreWelcomeHere scholarships each year covering at least 50% of tuition. For more information, go to the #YouAreWelcomeHere website. 
 
Review your institutional and office website – Your website may be the first interaction a prospective student has with your institution and has been identified “as the essential information source for prospective students.”13 Can they see themselves in the photos? Is it difficult to locate information that would be important to an international student, and can that information be read easily on a mobile device? If your campus includes an English as a Second Language program, are appropriate pages available in the languages of your target audiences? Here is an opportunity for your current international students to provide useful feedback, and to engage them in a campus or office initiative. 
 
Keep prospective and admitted students engaged – We know that students engaged with their studies or their campus have a higher tendency of being retained.14 Apply the same strategies to the admission process. By keeping students engaged with your institution prior to their arrival, they have a greater chance of enrolling. There are many ways to carry out this strategy including communication from current students, faculty and alumni; and trinkets with the university logo.

If you use Terra Dotta for your ISSS solution, there is so much you can offer that will help to make students feel at home even before they arrive! Develop an array of videos to embed on your site that include interviews with students, faculty and staff, especially the ISSS staff. Showcase various parts of your campus through short video tours, including residence areas and classrooms. Provide links to helpful videos regarding the visa application process and lists of what (and what not) to bring. Collect important documents by having students upload scans or copies, removing one stressor for your admits. Upload information that they can read about the campus or local community; provide information on airport pick-ups, buddy programs, campus activities – all things that will help to familiarize students with your institution and that will build a connection for your new admits.
 
Social media – Is your institution and your office visible on social media? Using these platforms adds additional opportunities for engagement with your newly-admitted students, as well as your prospective students. Here again, engage your current students since they will likely have the best read on what should be successful. Your strategy can be as simple – general postings that are used across all media – or as complex – different messages that are crafted for different media based on usage among various constituencies – as permitted by your time, expertise and staffing.
 
Current students – The importance of this community is clear from the times they have already been mentioned in an enrollment strategy. Happy students who feel assimilated into the overall campus community express their happiness to friends and family back home. Thus they serve as one of the best ambassadors your institution has. If your Admissions Office profiles students in their various promotional materials and sites, be sure that your international population is represented. Encourage students to take targeted literature on their trips home to share with prospective students and their families. Your students’ positive comments regarding the welcome they have received will go far toward combating negative press in the international media.
 
Local and regional advocacy – Advocacy must in the toolkit of every international educator. We must be on the lookout constantly for opportunities to showcase our international student community in positive light and be striving to keep our international students informed about the positive events in our communities that may affect them. Aside from the cultural value an international student presence brings to a community, there is also an economic value. Campus and community leaders need to be made aware of this impact. Available from NAFSA down to the congressional district,15 the financial contribution by international students helps others to understand the significance of being a welcoming community. Why is this important to international enrollments? Economic data demonstrate that everyone has a vested interest in maintaining – and growing – international student enrollments.
 


Growth of the international student population in the U.S. is no longer the given it once was. Whether due to competition from other countries, international politics or domestic xenophobia, we are faced with our international student prospects having options to a U.S. education that they now consider viable. While on the surface, this may appear to be the challenge of the Admissions Office, all of us have supporting roles to play. 
 
We, as international educators, are all faced with the challenge of creating campus environments that are welcoming of our international students, that lead students to want to study on our campuses. We must seize opportunities to convince campus and community members of the value found in an international student presence. We may need to employ different techniques for different groups; some may require data while others may be swayed by interpersonal interaction and anecdotal stories. 
 
At the same time, we can work together to ensure that prospective students receive honest, yet favorable, impressions of the opportunities that await them. Technology and programs are in place to aid in conveying positive messages about the shared benefits of an American education. Together we must help these potential students to cut through the hype to know that they will be welcome here.
 
Postscript: For further, in depth coverage on declining international enrollments, along with additional solutions that U.S. institutions are implementing, read the July/August 2018 edition of NAFSA’s International Educator.

 

Notes

  1. Knocking at the College Door: Projections of High School Graduates, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, December 6 2016, https://knocking.squarespace.com/reports/2017/3/22/full-report.
  2. IIE Releases Open Doors 2017 Data, Institute of International Education, November 13, 2017, https://www.iie.org/en/Why-IIE/Announcements/2017-11-13-Open-Doors-Data.
  3. Why Growth in International Enrollments Could Soon Be Slowing, Karin Fischer, The Chronicle of Higher Education, November 16, 2015. https://www.chronicle.com/article/Why-Growth-in-International/234181.
  4. The Great Game for International Students, Devon Haynie, U.S. News & World Report, January 23, 2018, https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2018-01-23/competition-for-international-students-increases-among-countries.
  5. Government plans package to lure students from the West, Eugene Vorotnikov, University World News, June 8, 2018, https://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20180608144511937.
  6. Facts and Figures – Canada’s Performance and Potential in International Education, Canadian Bureau for International Education, 2018, https://cbie.ca/media/facts-and-figures/.
  7. Huge surge in international students coming to Canada to study, Kareem El-Assal, Canadian Immigrant, March 28, 2018, https://canadianimmigrant.ca/careers-and-education/international-students/studyincanada/huge-surge-in-international-students-coming-to-canada-to-study.
  8. Record numbers studying in China, according to new MoE figures, Anton Crace, The PIE News, April 30, 2018, https://thepienews.com/news/record-numbers-studying-in-china/.
  9. White House Considers Restricting Chinese Researchers Over Espionage Fears, Ana Swanson and Keith Bradsher, The New York Times, April 30, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/30/us/politics/trump-china-researchers-espionage.html.
  10. America Must Rise Above Racism and Xenophobia, Jill Welch, NAFSA: Association of International Educators, June 26, 2018, https://www.nafsa.org/About_Us/About_NAFSA/Press/America_Must_Rise_Above_Racism_and_Xenophobia/.
  11. Should America’s Universities Stop Taking So Many International Students?, Alia Wong, The Atlantic, June 28, 2018, https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2018/06/international-students/563942/.
  12. International students to US: Do you really want us?, Stacy Teicher Khadaroo, The Christian Science Monitor, July 2, 2018, https://www.csmonitor.com/EqualEd/2018/0702/International-students-to-US-Do-you-really-want-us.
  13. Institutional websites remain a key element of online recruiting, ICEF Monitor, February 6, 2017, https://monitor.icef.com/2017/02/institutional-websites-remain-a-key-element-of-online-recruiting/.
  14. Engagement: the Key Concept of Student Retention in Higher Education, Isabel Sagenmüller, U-Planner, May 9, 2018, https://www.u-planner.com/blog/engagement-the-key-concept-of-student-retention-in-higher-education.
  15. NAFSA International Student Economic Value Tool, https://www.nafsa.org/Policy_and_Advocacy/Policy_Resources/Policy_Trends_and_Data/NAFSA_International_Student_Economic_Value_Tool/.