International Student Enrollment Research Articles

The impact of COVID‐19 on international student enrolments in North America: Comparing Canada and the United States

Both Canada and the United States enrol a significant number of international students. However, in March 2020, both countries closed their borders and increased restrictions to international travel due to COVID‐19, which had a direct impact on international students' ability to travel between their home countries and study destinations. This article examines the impact of COVID‐19 on international student enrolments by asking two related questions: first, how did government policy address international students' difficult reality in the wake of COVID‐19? And, did international student enrolments change as a result? With regard to policy, we find a stark divergence: Canada's federal policies quickly adapted to support international students and ensure they remained eligible for post‐graduate work permits, preserving the appeal of Canada as a study destination. Meanwhile, in the US, federal policies for student visas required international students to maintain physical presence, reflecting a more hostile stance towards immigration, characteristic of the Trump administration. Despite these differences, with regard to enrolments, we find largely similar patterns, with COVID resulting in only a small decline in international student enrolments nationwide. A more worrying trend for both countries is that selective institutions seem to have been less impacted than access‐oriented institutions.

A quasi-experiment in international student mobility: Germany’s fee re-introductions

ABSTRACT We analyse Germany’s re-introductions of tuition fees and enrolment of international students. Fees could not be levied before the German Federal Constitutional Court sanctioned them in 2005 and only seven out of the sixteen states took action, thus making a quasi-experimental research design available. Our fixed effects and synthetic control estimators measure the effect of fee-reintroductions on international enrolments. Results reveal that only one state significantly reduced its foreign student intake while the remaining fee-reintroducing states did not lose foreign students. Findings expand upon prior studies conducted on German students and contribute to the debate concerning optimal student taxation policy. A price-discrimination strategy might be available, but its desirability must be more broadly acknowledged in the greater scheme of higher education financing. A theoretical framework is laid out to contextualise the role of tuition fees in international student migrations and fee-subsidy systems.

Understanding and Supporting the Confucian Heritage Culture International Students in Victorian Independent Schools: A Perspective of School Leaders

Greater demand for quality post-secondary education has been seen in Asia, particularly in China. Many Western countries have seen a rise in international education. Increasingly, schools in Australia are embracing internationalisation policies, leading to an increase in international student enrolment before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. International students in school education are something of a little-understood issue for educational scholars, policy makers and the general public. Leadership is seen as pivotal in the success of schools’ internationalisation program. By applying a mixed-method approach to collect data from an online Qualtrics survey and semi-structured interviews with independent school leaders in Australia, this paper reports how school leaders understand Confucian Heritage Culture (CHC) international students’ linguistic, cultural and educational contributions to schools, and their experience in supporting the international students to adapt into the new educational environments through various programs and strategies. This article also advocates that it is vital to respect the international students’ educational subjectivities generated in their “home” countries when providing support programs to help them engage with new educational contexts in “host” nations.

Balancing finances, politics, and public health: international student enrollment and reopening plans at US higher education institutions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Drawing from resource dependence theory, this study explores the extent to which international student enrollment related to institutional decisions to shift to in-person instructional strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. We focus our study particularly on July 2020, a time during which tensions around international students’ legal status in the US were especially high. Our results suggest that leaders at private not-for-profit institutions were significantly more likely to shift instructional strategies to include more in-person instruction, thus allowing more international students to enroll but also placing at risk the health of individuals on their campuses and in their local communities. A similar result was not found for public institutions. These results speak to the extent to which private institutions in the US have become financially dependent on international students’ tuition and have clear implications for the financial futures of US higher education institutions.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10734-021-00768-7.

Lost in Lockdown?

Due to uneven and hierarchical global context, the United States has been the world’s number one “Educational Hub” (Knight, 2011), leading the internationalization of higher education in multiple forms, the top priority of which lies in international student recruitment and enrollment. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has thoroughly disrupted the traditional mobility experience—a situation that has broader implications for the demographic landscape of US higher education. This article explores how COVID-19 and pandemic-related Sinophobia affect Chinese students’ perspectives on their educational decision-making. Based on Zoom interviews of a sample of 21 Chinese undergraduate students, this study demonstrates that despite the leading role of the US in international education, it is gradually losing appeal to Chinese students due to disillusionment with the romanticized imaginary of the US, anxiety about uncertain policies, and safety concerns. The unidirectional student mobility from mainland China to the US may be interrupted with Singapore and Hong Kong as the emerging destinations.

Food Insecurity Among International Post-Secondary Students Studying on a Canadian Campus: A Qualitative Description Study

Enrollment of international post-secondary students is increasing across Canadian campuses. International post-secondary students may experience challenges in accessing nutritious foods that meet their dietary needs and food preferences. These challenges can pose negative impacts on their health, well-being, and academic achievement. Our aim was to describe international post-secondary students’ perceptions of (1) challenges to attaining food security and (2) consequences of food insecurity on the university experience. We conducted individual semi-structured interviews with 11 international post-secondary students who had food insecurity, were enrolled at a public university in Canada, and who had requested emergency foodhampers from the on-campus food bank. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using manifest, inductive content analysis. International post-secondary students reported several logistical issues related to obtaining sufficient food, including a lack of time, limited family support, modest food preparation skills, and low knowledge about supportive services and resources. Students also faced challenges in sourcing culturally appropriate foods, including issues related to food availability, accessibility, acceptability, and affordability. Further, they perceived food insecurity to negatively influence their academic performance through compromised concentration, reduced class and exam attendance, and adverse mpactson physical, mental, and social well-being. Some students reported extreme food deprivation, resulting in hunger. Our results revealed the negative impacts that food insecurity can have on international post-secondary students. Findings underscore the imperative to minimize the occurrence of food insecurity while studying in Canada by introducing and enhancing support systems on campus and in the community to enable food security.

International Students’ Academic and Social Integration Stories

This research report has the purpose to inform the audience about the methodological qualitative part of a study being conducted in a Hungarian university. In the last decade the Hungarian government has created opportunities for internationals to fit into the internationalization trend in education. Following these initiatives through the lens of the students is a convenient form to understand the impact of its application. The university where the study is conducted has a good reputation and of preference for international prospect students, becoming the ideal spot to research about the process of integration of international students in two aspects, academic and social. The understanding of this thematic required information collected through qualitative interviews which were conducted with students from different faculties, countries, majors, and levels of study. The findings revealed that students are satisfied in terms of social integration and gaps are found to fulfill their academic integration. The information is a relevant and important source of input for educational organizations in Hungary which are working continuously to increase the enrollment of international students, especially in the pandemic situation.

PENGUASAAN BAHASA IBUNDA SEBAGAI MEDIUM KOMUNIKASI MAHASISWA INSTITUSI PENGAJIAN TINGGI MALAYSIA: SUATU PENELITIAN CAKNA BAHASA NEGARA BERBILANG KAUM

Malaysia is a multi-racial country with a multi-racial composition, thus producing a variety of communication languages spoken as a result of ethnic assimilation from various races. Malay language is the mother tongue and is upheld as the national language, and thus becomes an element of the identity of Malaysians. It is also considered a point of unity of all the people that lead to national cohesion. The increase in the enrolment of international students every year proves the success of the Ministry of Education Malaysia in fulfilling the vision and mission of the Internationalisation Policy of Malaysian Institutions of Higher Learning. However, in the excitement of pursuing modernisation of education today, the university is bearing heavy responsibility in lifting the position of the Malay language as the official forum for learning and teaching as well as a selection of the main medium of communication among students, especially international students. Discussion of this paper focused on dismantling trade empowerment in the context of the Malay language proficiency in the language that seeks to help assimilation and accommodating international students. This research chooses a qualitative approach by utilising the semi-structured interview method to generate empirical data from a target group of 30 international students in selected Malaysian Public Universities. The findings show that international students utilise their mother tongue to recognise their abilities and agree that the importance of understanding and having the skills of the local language can contribute to the transformation of assimilation in the culture of Malaysia’s multi-ethnic society. Ultimately, mastering the mother tongue as a medium of communication for HLI students is a universal skill requirement of international students for the improvisation of self-confidence in facing the challenges of language learning in a multi-racial country.

Factors influencing international and U.S. dentists\u2019 interest in advanced periodontal education: a pilot study

BackgroundThe enrollment of international periodontal students in U.S. dental schools has been increasing in recent years. Interest in applying to a periodontics specialty program may differ between U.S and international dental school graduates. The purpose of this study is to assess, from the perspective of periodontal residents, (1) factors that interest dental students to apply to periodontics programs and (2) differences in background and interest between U.S and international graduates.MethodsA 20-question survey was sent out electronically to periodontics residents. The survey questions were designed to obtain information on the participants’ backgrounds, factors that influenced them to specialize in periodontics, and their preferred features of graduate periodontics programs. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics for socio-demographic variables, a Wilcoxon two sample test to compare mean Likert scale scores, and Fisher’s exact test for associations between comparison groups.ResultsOf the two hundred residents invited to participate, 28% responded. The majority of the respondents stated that interest in implantology, previous exposure to periodontal procedures, interest in improving periodontal surgery skills, a good relationship with periodontics faculty, the residency curriculum, advanced program and faculty reputation as influencing factors in selecting periodontics as specialization. The majority of international graduates have up to $50,000 dollars in student debt; by comparison, half of the domestic graduates have a debt of over $250,000 dollars (p ≤ 0.05). Working experience as a dentist was significantly greater among international residents (73%) in comparison to U.S graduates (32%). In contrast with international graduates, U.S graduates more frequent reported that good relationships with the periodontics predoctoral faculty contributed to their interest in periodontics (p ≤ 0.05). Program cost and location had a greater impact on the decision of U.S. graduates than international graduates (p ≤ 0.05).ConclusionsOverall, factors associated with personal finance and predoctoral education have a greater impact on the decision of American graduates than international graduates to pursue an advanced education in periodontics, which may influence the increased enrollment of international students.

IS COVID-19 TRANSITIONING CASH COWS INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS INTO CATS?

<p>The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted every aspect of human life. It has disrupted people’s lifestyles around the world and international students are no exception. Every industry has been affected, including higher education (HE); for the first time ever in the HE sector, learning and teaching adopted online platforms to deliver the curriculum. At the same time, there has been growing interest in the business of international students across the globe. More than five million international students are currently studying in higher education institutions (HEIs) outside their home countries. It is often assumed that HEIs consider international students a source of revenue and, therefore, seek to recruit as many as possible. The United Kingdom is the second largest and most popular global destination for international students after the United States. The primary purpose of this study is to assess the impact of COVID-19 on international student enrolment around the world in general and in the UK in particular. Our findings show that international students are cash cows, and COVID-19 had a significant impact on the recruitment of international students. </p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0865/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Information literacy instruction for international graduate engineering students: A case study at University of Windsor

In recent years, the University of Windsor has seen a significant increase in international student enrolments, especially in the graduate engineering programs. Previous studies indicate that international students often have difficulties in developing information literacy skills. Furthermore, many engineering students lack library research skills essential for succeeding in academic study. However, there is a scarcity of studies focusing on information literacy instruction for international engineering students and existing research in this area seldom utilizes statistical analysis methods to determine the effectiveness of the instruction. This paper aims to fill in the literature gap by examining the impact of an information literacy session geared towards international graduate engineering students at the University of Windsor. Statistical analysis of the paired pre-post survey tests reveals that the session has significantly improved the students' understanding of certain aspects of information literacy, including searching and locating information, but not the areas of identifying and evaluating information. Further instructions and additional support integrated into graduate seminars or other classes as well as offered outside of classrooms will be beneficial to these students, particularly in the areas of identifying information, evaluating information, finding scholarly sources, and other more advanced information literacy topics.

Factors impacting on accounting academics’ motivation and capacity to adapt in challenging times

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to consider what factors influence the ability of academic staff to remain motivated and to persist in their work environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tinto’s (2017) model of student motivation and persistence is reconceptualised to apply to the academic staff by considering their self-efficacy beliefs, sense of belonging and perceptions of career relevance on their motivation levels and adaption to a new environment.Design/methodology/approachUtilising Tinto’s (2017) reconceptualised model for academics, this study provides insights into motivation and capacity to adapt during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper presents observations and reflections from five academics from three universities across two countries in relation to self-efficacy, sense of belonging and perception of career relevance.FindingsThe findings of this study state that self-efficacy beliefs, a sense of belonging and perceptions of career relevance combine to drive both academics’ motivation levels and their ability to adapt to the changing landscape. Self-efficacy was influenced by factors such as struggles with adaptation to new online technologies and researching and teaching in a virtual environment. Academics’ sense of belonging was found to be challenged in unprecedented ways because of physical isolation and sometimes unfavourable home working environments. Perceptions of career relevance were found to be challenged by adverse developments such as reduced promotional opportunities, cuts in resourcing and job insecurity.Originality/valueThis paper makes three important contributions. First, Tinto’s (2017) model of student motivation and persistence is extended to examine academic motivation, adaption and persistence. Second, the model is applied to a crisis where staff face greater strain in maintaining connection to their colleagues and their university. Third, the influence of the COVID-19 crisis is examined by using the reconceptualised Tinto (2017) model in the context of accounting, as accounting international student enrolments and associated revenue streams have been impacted significantly more than those of many other disciplines.

ELEMEN TRANSFORMATIF DAN AKULTURASI DIRI DARI PENGALAMAN TAHUN PERTAMA PENGAJIAN DI UNIVERSITI AWAM MALAYSIA SEBAGAI WASILAH PRESTASI PENCAPAIAN AKADEMIK PELAJAR ANTARABANGSA

The academic aspect plays a vital role as a transformative element in bringing change into the life of each individual. One of the main goals for students to continue their studies abroad is to obtain a high-quality education. The freshman experience is considered an important phase involving self-assimilation, emotional change, cultural shock, and social values that can influence the academic achievement of international students. The discussion of this paper detailing the factors that contribute to a more meaningful freshman year experience is differentiated by comparing the process of self-assimilation and academic achievement of international students. The qualitative approach using the purposive sampling technique has involved in-depth interviews of 40 international students from four Malaysian Public Universities. The findings of the study generate a self-reflective understanding of the nature of international students which is translated through selective narratives of emotional outpouring, describing excitement, desire, and hope. The new findings for this study relate to the elements of transformation and self-assimilation of students who have an interrelationship with (i) The reputation of Malaysian Public Universities as a prestigious study destination, (ii) The quality of the higher education system which is more comprehensive and versatile, (iii) Flexibility and the dynamics of the academic programmes offered, (iv) Contemporary and market-driven study programmes, and (v) The added value of English proficiency as a method of learning and teaching. The sharing of empirical data of this study is expected to be useful information to the human resource management of the university which has a high dependence on the enrolment of international students. This effort is in line with the National Strategic Plan for Higher Education (PSPTN) which was formulated with the vision of transforming Malaysia into a hub of excellence in higher education on the international stage.

International student enrollment predictions: Don't count the U.S. out yet

There has been no shortage of dire predictions about the state of future international student enrollment in the U.S. Several international deans and recruiters, myself included, predicted that the impact of the pandemic would only exacerbate what had been declining international student enrollment for several years.

International students in Portuguese higher education: who are they and what are their choices?

ABSTRACT This paper analyses the patterns of international student enrolments in Portugal to understand what makes Portuguese higher education attractive. Employing a database of enrolments in Portuguese higher education institutions in 2017/2018, it uses correspondence analysis to characterise the flows of students coming from different countries and the variation by institution type, qualification level, disciplinary area and location. Attractiveness is not homogeneous. Portuguese-speaking students from Africa tend to enrol in undergraduate degrees, but depending on country of origin they prefer certain institution types. European students are attracted to Health-related programmes in private institutions. Chinese and Brazilian students seek primarily postgraduate qualifications in public universities. Thus, different publics choose Portuguese higher education for different reasons, suggesting that attractiveness is multifaceted and varies by students’ country of origin. The implications are that institutions in countries which are emerging players in international student recruitment need to carefully identify their target publics and distinctive assets.

The White Swan and Beyond: International Education in the Pandemic and Postpandemic World

Although total international student enrollment in the United States has been growing more slowly since 2014, fall 2019 international student enrollment growth was negative for the first time since...

Recruitment of International Students Through a Synthesis of English as a Second Language Instruction, Social Justice, and Service Learning

Universities across the U.S. have increasingly emphasized internationalization, leading to rising numbers of international students attending U.S. institutions of higher education. However, these students tend to gravitate toward larger research-intensive universities with many other institutions seeing no increase in international student enrollments. Little is known concerning how to attract international students to regional institutions lacking name recognition. To address the above and promote internationalization through increasing the presence of students from abroad, an academic department at a regional public U.S. college used needs analysis to develop a pilot program for Japanese university students (N = 13). The program involved a synthesis of English as a Second Language instruction, social justice as a content area, and service learning, in a two-week credit-bearing summer session course. A post-participation survey revealed highly positive reactions, particularly in terms of working with local community members, and broad agreement that the program had been life-altering. The implications for international student program development at regional institutions are discussed.

Characteristics associated with cooking frequency among college students

The objective of this study was to determine cooking frequency and identify student characteristics associated with cooking frequency among students from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This cross-sectional study included data from 4845 students who completed an online survey in the fall of 2016. Cooking frequency was assessed using the question “How often do you cook for yourself or for others?” with the response options being “often,” “sometimes,” and “never.” Students also self-reported information on a variety of student characteristics. Descriptive statistics were calculated and associations between cooking frequency and student characteristics were assessed using Pearson's chi square tests, ANOVA, and multinomial logistic regression. Statistical significance was considered p < 0.05. Among students in the sample, 45.7% reported often cooking, 40.3% reported sometimes cooking, and 14% reported never cooking. Characteristics significantly associated with cooking frequency in the adjusted models were race/ethnicity, year in school, living on vs. off-campus, having a car, receiving financial aid, perceived health rating, weight status, having a meal plan, food security status, and perceived cooking skills. Age, gender, marital status, having dependent children, being an international student, part-time vs. full-time enrollment, and employment status were not significantly associated with cooking frequency in adjusted models. Cooking was common among college students in this sample, although there were differences in characteristics among students who reported different frequencies of cooking.

Interdisciplinary Entrepreneurship Education: Exploring 10-Year Trends in Student Enrollment, Interest and Motivation

Interdisciplinary entrepreneurship programs are becoming the norm rather than the exception at universities across the world. This paper examines trends in student enrollment, interests, motivations, career goals, and perceived competency over the past decade at a large public university offering an entrepreneurship credential to undergraduate students in all majors. Several trends were identified via pre- and post-program surveys ( n = 5,271 and n = 1,323) administered to participants. Engineering, technology, science, and international student enrollment grew; the motivations and interests of non-business students evolved slightly over time; and gender differences, but not disciplinary ones, were detected in relation to program outcomes and perceived effectiveness. Implications of this work for entrepreneurship education include showing how monitoring enrollment trends can inform program development and serve as a foundation for new research questions.

Best and Brightest? The Impact of Student Visa Restrictiveness on Who Attends College in the US

Recent immigration policies have created massive uncertainty for international students to obtain F-1 visas. Yet, before the COVID-19 pandemic, student visa applicants already faced an approximately 27 percent refusal rate that varies by time and region. Using data on the universe of SAT takers between 2004 and 2015 matched with college enrollment records, we examine how the anticipated F-1 visa restrictiveness influences US undergraduate enrollment outcomes of international students. Using an instrumental variables approach, we find that a higher anticipated F-1 student visa refusal rate decreases the number of international SAT takers, decreases the probability of sending SAT scores to US colleges, and decreases international student enrollment in the US. The decreases are larger among international students with higher measured academic achievement. We also document academic achievement of international students and show that over 40 percent of high-scoring international SAT takers do not pursue US college education.