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New Publication Sizes Up the International Student Market

Washington, D.C. (Sept. 21, 2009)—Ramped up recruitment efforts by countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia could begin to erode the United States' position as the premier destination for international study, according to a new issue brief from the Center for International Initiatives (CII) at the American Council on Education (ACE).

Sizing Up the Competition: The Future of International Postsecondary Student Enrollment in the United States examines enrollment trends of internationally mobile postsecondary students in five top destinations: the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France and Australia. It also looks at national scholarship programs, visa policies, and recruitment initiatives in these countries.

The issue brief identifies several factors could seriously affect the growth of international student enrollments in the U.S., including the global financial crisis; the increasing domestic higher education capacity of countries that currently send their students to the U.S., which could result in fewer students studying abroad; and intensified recruiting by competing countries.

"The competition for international students is intensifying," said Madeleine F. Green, vice president for international initiatives at ACE. "While the U.S. remains the top destination for international students, the data reviewed in this paper draw a picture of a changing landscape and challenges that could threaten continued U.S. success as a magnet for international students."

While recruitment efforts in the U.S. are carried out primarily by individual institutions, in the U.K. for instance, an ongoing education initiative aims to recruit an additional 100,000 international students by 2011 and double the number of countries sending more than 10,000 students to the United Kingdom per year.

Relatively low visa costs enhance Germany's attractiveness as a study abroad option, while France has streamlined its process for granting visas to international students allowing them to extend their stay for an additional two years of work after they complete their master's degree.

"On the plus side, the visa application process in the U.S. has improved considerably. However, some other countries make it easier than the United States does to stay after their studies," Green added.

On the recruitment side, the paper concludes there is room for inter-institutional cooperation among U.S. colleges and universities as well as additional collaboration between the government and the nation's postsecondary institutions.

The issue brief also identifies a growing trend of regionalization, whereby students stay within their region of origin to study and profiles higher education hubs like the United Arab Emirates and Qatar that have established branch campuses to attract local and international students.

Sizing Up the Competition: The Future of International Postsecondary Student Enrollment in the United States is available as a complimentary PDF on the ACE web site.

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Founded in 1918, ACE is the major coordinating body for all the nation's higher education institutions, representing more than 1,600 college and university presidents, and more than 200 related associations, nationwide. It seeks to provide leadership and a unifying voice on key higher education issues and influence public policy through advocacy, research, and program initiatives.