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Data shows the comparison between the number of students enrolled from the top six countries with the highest international enrollment in fall 2010 and fall 2017.

Fewer international students have been coming to OU, but their retention rates are up

Over the past decade, Ohio University has seen both an increase in the retention of international students as well as a significant decrease in their enrollment, a trend that coincides with many other universities in the Midwest.

Since 2009, the number of international students who enrolled at OU and the percent of those students who were retained into their second year have consistently fluctuated. 

For instance, in 2012, the retention rate for international students was at 75 percent, and the most recent data has it at 89 percent this year, according to a previous Post report. The rate of enrollment has increased from 1,483 students in Fall Semester 2010 to a high of 1,881 in Fall Semester 2013 and stands at 1,353 as of Fall Semester 2017, according to data from the OU Office of Institutional Research.

“Over the last two decades, the United States has become less accessible to a lot of international student populations, particularly students who might really find Ohio University — based on affordability and what they can study — to be the right place for them,” said Zachary Reizes, the OU Student Senate representative for the Center for International Studies.

A 27 percent decrease in enrollment from fall 2014 to fall 2017 among international students at OU has followed a trend among Midwest universities. Throughout the U.S, the number of new international students has decreased an average of 7 percent, according to a report from The New York Times.

Many factors are thought to have an effect on the decline of international students in American universities. U.S. immigration policy, including recent travel bans, and the rhetoric on immigration coming from the White House are concerns that New York Times report discusses. Reizes said the affordability of higher education and what students can study are also what draws international students away from the U.S.

“There is still a large interest for the vast majority of students to come to the United States,” Lorna Jean Edmonds, the vice provost for Global Affairs and International Studies, said. “Let’s just say it’s no longer an automatic decision.”

Despite a drop in the number of international students enrolling at OU, the retention rate for those students has been improving. The most recent data from 2017 has international retention rates at a 24 percent improvement since 2012.

Edmonds said it’s always nice to see international retention rates go up, and that they are as solid as the retention rates for domestic students.

OU’s success with international student retention rates came as no surprise to Reizes, Edmonds and Diane Cahill, the interim director of International Student Faculty Services.

“Generally, our Bobcat community has been welcoming to all new students, international students included,” Cahill said in an email. “Many students have noted how friendly and welcoming Athens is and that for some of these students, it feels like home.”

@ShillcockGeorge

gs261815@ohio.edu

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