Many Admissions Counselors from around the globe are gathered this week at IACAC, focused on the practices that support and facilitate the matriculation of international students from secondary to post-secondary education.
While much of the news on student mobility, at least to the U.S., has highlighted the downturn in enrollments at intensive English programs and 4-year and Post-graduate institutions, there do exist some positive signs, most notably with Community Colleges and to a lesser extent High Schools.
Community Colleges, in the face of the rising costs of US Higher Education, are increasingly more attractive to international students. As Martha Parham of the American Association of Community Colleges highlighted in a recent US News & World Report article, Community Colleges in the US attract international students because of the low tuition, ease of transfer, and variety of experience.
The number of international students taking advantage of the Community College experience has increased despite a slight decrease (2%) in 2017/2018, with its top 3 of the top 5 enrollment years coming in just the past three academic years. Within the pipelines, the top 5 sending countries have remained stable, with China and Vietnam representing relatively 30% of all enrollments over the past 5 years (source: IIE Open Doors 2018).
Like other educational sectors, though, this positive trend is taking hit. The most recent numbers from SEVIS (see SEVIS by the Numbers) show that compared to 2016, the number of students showing active in SEVIS of March each year has declined by 13% into 2019.
Taken together, the IIE Data and the SEVIS by the Numbers data suggest that China remains strong, and there are bright spots in other markets (see below).
High School international student enrollments have experienced a 15%+ downturn since 2016; however, like Community Colleges, there are bright spots. (source SEVIS by the Numbers)
Overall enrollments of international students to the US are down, but for Community Colleges and High Schools, the following countries have shown positive gains from 2016 to 2019:
- For Community Colleges: Vietnam (1%); Brazil (49%); Nigeria 29%; Nepal (64%); and India (2%)
- For High Schools: Vietnam (16%; Brazil (26%); and Spain (4%)
As schools vie for international students in an increasingly globally competitive market, I imagine discussions and presentations are taking place now at IACAC by US Admissions Counselors. Looking to the Community Colleges and High Schools – building partnerships for matriculation and conditional admission – is but just one of the options available.
For more information on responding to the trends, please contact us at info@globaledprofs.org.