University of Houston and USC succeed with foreign students

Abstract:

Higher education is the nation’s fifth-largest service sector export. International students contribute an estimated $13 billion to the U.S. economy each year. Almost half of all international students pay for their American schooling with personal or foreign government funds.

“Now the perception is that the U.S. is unfriendly to international students,” says Marco Mariotto, dean of graduate and professional studies at the University of Houston. Mariotto admits the “unfriendly” reputation resulted in
part because of the homeland security restrictions implemented after 9/11. From 2003 to 2004, U.S. colleges and universities saw a whopping 45 percent decrease in foreign applications from China, a 28 percent decrease from India, and a 14 percent decrease from Korea—the three largest contributors to the U.S. foreign student population.

Other nations wasted little time taking advantage of the U.S. bureaucratic mess. As U.S. foreign enrollment applications decreased, other nations—most notably Australia, Germany, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom—were seeing increases. This article shows what the University of Houston and USC are doing to fix the problem.

The full article was originally published in the July issue of the Greentree Gazette.