University of Cincinnati attracting less international students

Number of UC international students down from five years ago

The University of Cincinnati is attracting less international students than it did five years ago despite a growing international reputation, according to the UC Office of Institutional Research.In 2003 UC had approximately 2,000 international students. In 2008 that number was about 1,850, even though the total number of students enrolled at the university has increased by nearly 4,000, according to the UC Student Fact Book.Primarily, UC attracts international students at the graduate level; only 400 of the international students enrolled at UC in 2008 were undergraduates, according to the Office of Institutional Research.

The College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning and the College-Conservatory of Music are ranked highly in the nation, and that might be part of the reason people choose UC. The university is ranked third in the nation for interior design, pediatrics and criminal justice, according to U.S. News and World Report. An additional 30 graduate programs made the reports’ top 50.

“A lot of people come for the first-class research excellence that we have here at UC,” said Jill Reister, education abroad adviser. “People are going abroad because it makes them more competitive.” Aside from highly acclaimed programs, an overall degree from an American institution can be worth more than degrees from universities abroad, according to James Tenney, assistant director of UC International.

“There is some prestige [in American education],” said Tenney. “It’s something that is desired.” Still, the declining number of international students might speak to a declining interest in American academia abroad.“The academics overseas are top-notch,” Tenney said. As countries become more developed, their educational systems improve, allowing people to stay near home and still receive an education. The academic systems in the United States provide students different opportunities than in their native countries. People are looking for the practical experience, which UC offers.“In Germany, universities are subsidized more heavily than here, and they can take up more grad students,” said Nadine Stecher, a German graduate student in the fourth-year of studying for a doctorate in biology. “However, when I was doing my master’s, I didn’t really have a lot of resources available for my research. Here, I have access to many more tools.”

Many international students qualify for scholarships and other types of financial aid, which helps alleviate the high cost of tuition. “I totally depend on the scholarship I receive,” Stecher said. “In Germany, grad school is for free in biology. I could not study here if it wasn’t for the financial support through my department.”International students have a deep network in UC International, designed to help them become acclimated to Cincinnati. The program includes helping students to get Social Security numbers and finding them places to stay. According to Tenney, UC International first looks to on-campus housing, but if none is available the department provides information about off-campus housing. In the past there was an economic reason for international students to come to UC. “The [U.S.] dollar was performing badly compared to other currencies, which was incentive for people to come here,” Tenney said. When the U.S. dollar is worth less internationally, it costs prospective international students less to live in the states. But according to Tenney, the value of the American dollar may be on the rise, which suggests international students may no longer come here as a cost-cutting measure.

Source: http://www.newsrecord.org/sections/news/number_of_uc_international_students_down_from_five_years_ago-1.1596376