International students flock to CSULB

LONG BEACH - Cal State Long Beach (CSULB) is a popular campus for international students judging by its No. 4 national ranking among master's degree institutions that have students from other countries, according to the Institute of International Education's (IIE) most recent "Open Doors" report.The national rankings were published recently in the Chronicle of Higher Education. A total of 2,484 international students from more than 90 countries chose to study at CSULB during 2010-11. India topped the list with more than 300 students followed by Japan, Korea, China and Saudi Arabia. The most popular majors for these international students included electrical engineering, computer science, accounting, finance and art. "We are a very popular university in many countries. Our desirable location, our excellent academic programs and the beautiful campus environment are very attractive to international students," said Jeet Joshee, associate vice president of international education and dean of CSULB's College of Continuing and Professional Education. "We are also one of the safest campuses in the country, which is very important to international students and their parents." In the same report, CSULB ranked seventh in the nation among master's institutions in the total number of study abroad students. In 2009-10 (the most recent data available), the campus had 710 students studying in other countries, higher than all but one of the remaining 22 campuses in the California State University system (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo ranked fifth nationally with 809 study abroad students). Among the most popular destinations for CSULB students studying abroad are Australia, China, Japan, the United Kingdom and Spain. "We have always believed in the value of building a global university environment and in giving our students the opportunity to travel and live abroad," said CSULB President F. King Alexander. "This high ranking demonstrates our commitment to providing global educational experiences for all our students." In 2010-11, the number of international students registering for American colleges and universities grew at a faster rate (5 percent) than in 2009 (3 percent), reaching an all-time high of 723,277, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education article. China and Saudi Arabia led the growth, based on data released in November by the IIE with support from the U.S. State Department. The 2011 "Open Doors" also noted that California remains the state leader for the number of foreign students choosing to study at its institutions with 96,535, an increase of 2.4 percent over the previous year. "When I travel overseas, I am amazed how much prospective international students know about Cal State Long Beach," Joshee said. "Although we have not done any systematic recruiting until recently, it is nice to see the number of students who come to CSULB." A survey conducted this fall by eight higher education associations determined that more than 50 percent of colleges are contributing more resources toward recruitment, either through providing additional staff or cultivating international collaborations that may lead to increased foreign student enrollment. This scenario has been particularly true at public institutions, where declining state support has driven such endeavors.

********** Published: December 29, 2011 - Volume 10 - Issue 37