WATCH: For Some New UC Students, It s Not Just Their First Time in College, It s Their First Time in the Country

The University of Cincinnati’s International Admissions coordinators continue to report success in recruiting international undergraduate students to campus as part of a strategy to grow UC not only as a top national research university, but also as a global university.

Jonathan Weller, director of UC International Admissions, says UC is expecting around 150 new international undergraduate students this fall, with confirmations up around 50 percent from last year. UC is anticipating a total international student population (graduate and undergraduate) of 2,291, up more than nine percent from last fall, according to UC Institutional Research.

Because international undergraduate enrollment is growing across the nation’s college campuses, student service offices, including UC’s, have expanded orientation services to serve their needs. Many of these students will have just arrived in Cincinnati when UC’s International Welcome Week gets underway on Sept. 12.

One of the highlights of International Student Welcome Week takes place from 2 to 4 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 15, on Sheakly Lawn, adjacent to Marge Schott Stadium on the West Campus. The event, Athletics Fun Day, is geared toward introducing students to UC’s campus spirit and athletic traditions. Students will play soccer, take part in a Cornhole tournament, meet some student athletes and coaches and meet the Bearcat mascot. Media are welcome to attend the event.

UC’s international student population – graduate and undergraduate – represents 110 countries, with the largest international student population, (30%), coming from India, where UC has intensified recruitment efforts for undergraduates over the past couple of years. Weller reports that UC doubled its number of incoming Indian undergraduates compared with last fall, from eight in 2010/11 to 17 this fall. Nationally, the student population representing India increased by two percent over the previous academic year.

UC’s largest undergraduate international student population is represented by China.

UC is also intensifying recruitment efforts in Indonesia. Last spring, UC was part of a delegation of 60 U.S. educational institutions – selected by the U.S. Commercial Service and the U.S. Department of Commerce – to take part in a new education trade mission in Vietnam and Indonesia. The U.S. Commercial Service and the U.S. Department of Commerce report that Vietnam has 20,000 students studying abroad – with 13,000 of them studying in the U.S. The country is third among those sending international students to the U.S. to pursue their studies at community colleges.

UC International Admissions has also been developing partnerships to recruit international students from community colleges around the United States, such as the International Partnership and Pathway Program with Green River Community College outside Seattle. Students who complete their two-year degree at Green River Community College will be offered conditional admission into the University of Cincinnati to complete their baccalaureate degree. UC International Admissions representatives are planning a recruitment trip to Green River Community College sometime this fall.

The Institute of International Education’s Open Doors Report found that the number of international students at colleges and universities in the United States increased by three percent to 690,923 in the 2009/10 academic year, driven in part by a 30 percent increase in the Chinese student population.

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