Comments on The Mobile International Student

• Posted by Rajika Bhandari , Director of Research at Institute of International Education (IIE) on October 10, 2007 at 4:45pm EDT

• This new report by the OBHE provides an interesting analysis from the perspective of the “sourcing” of international students from key places of origin. The authors are right in pointing out that while the U.S. remains the top destination for international students, the rate of growth has been slower than that of other competing countries like Australia. This gradual slowing of the rate of increase in international students in the U.S. is inevitable given that the U.S. has hosted over half a million international students since 1999. In contrast, countries like Australia and New Zealand started out with a much smaller base of international students and have only recently come to be viewed as “major players” or “emerging destinations”. Not surprisingly, they have more room for sharp and accelerated growth. Looking at the reverse side of the equation—i.e., the U.S. as a sending country—the fact that American students rarely appear as a top source for other countries emphasizes the importance of encouraging more American students to go overseas for both degree and non-degree study. Finally, I also applaud the authors for acknowledging a sector of growth that is not emphasized enough in discussion of global mobility: many developing countries have worked hard to increase the capacity of their higher education systems to accommodate more of their own students (who might otherwise have gone overseas), as well as opening their doors to a larger number of international students and thereby making the transition to being an “emerging destination.” These are the sort of nuances that IIE and 16 other international partner organizations have been exploring through Project Atlas.

• US HE Market Advantage
• Posted by John Douglass , Senior Research Fellow at CSHE - UC Berkeley on October 11, 2007 at 7:00am EDT

• This is a really interesting study and it shows once again a real erosion in the US HE market advantage long enjoyed but now shifting. US HE institutions will still draw students from throughout the world, but not at the same rate, and marked by concerted efforts by EU and other countries to attract talent globally.

  National comparisons are often skewed by not taking into account size of the population or number of institutions, making the US seem bigger in the international market then it really is. For a long time, the US has lived on attracting talent and recently has experienced real declines in the AA and BA degree granting rates (particularly in big states like California). Attracting talent from abroad has kept us competitive - but that is a formula that is likely not sustainable, or at least needs to be reconsidered. An earlier Inside HE article, The Sky is Falling, discussed some of this.

• foreign students in USA
• Posted by muvaffak gozaydin , president at online technologies on October 11, 2007 at 7:45am EDT

• Yes, thanks to USA.
  USA has the top schools in the world. Infact they are top schools because they have the top talents of the world. We cannot blame them. I am one of those going to Caltech and Stanford even with scholarships from Americans, I feel indebted to USA.
  Though there is another face of the situation. Turkey may have about 15,000 college students in USA. As you may know there are many many very very good universities in USA and many many bad ones as well. In Turkey not very well educated families are in the hands of local American school promoters. Supposedly they show the families good things. Not so. For easily acceptance they are directed to weak university so that they can be accepted easily. Tuition is high. But school is not good. So we in Turkey try to identify good universities in USA officially and Turkish Government does not accept every even accredited university as good university.