rbouwens

Besides the fact that schools with higher int'l students %'s have a higher proportion of int'l students, does it say anything about the institution's administration? I'm specifically wondering about small schools.

On my list, my 3 highest rates of int'l students are:
Beloit: 9%
Grinnell: 11%
Macalester: 12%

on the other end of the spectrum:
Kenyon: 3%
Bowdoin: 3%
Connecticut: 4%

Why such the difference? How is it that the Midwestern schools are attracting the internationals?

Btw, I would prefer a higher int'l %.

lynxinsider

Wealth (international students can be expensive to recruit and to provide aid for and to support). Also a matter of institutional priority. Don't assume there's something magic about the midwest based just on these six schools.

katliamom

Well, actually there IS something "magic" about the midwest. And that is, that fewer international students apply there - schools such as Grinnell and Macalester simply aren't as well known - and their location isn't as desirable - as the usual suspects on either coast.
These schools end up being easier to get into (and often easier to get FA from) because there's less competition from other international students.

rbouwens

^ makes sense.

Erin's Dad

^^ That doesn't make sense to me. It seems to be more related to an emphasis by the school. If fewer international students apply why does Bowdoin, with 400 more students than Beloit, have less than 1/2 the number of internationals? Though Bowdoin certainly has higher stats for entering freshmen.

mom2collegekids

I agree with Erin's dad...it doesn't make sense.

If midwest schools are largely unknown to int'ls, then they should have smaller int'l populations...not greater.

I wonder if it has to do with FA/merit offerings? Do the midwest schools offer more merit/FA to int'ls?

rbouwens

I think that's what katlia is trying to say - I know for sure that Beloit and Grinnell offer aid to int'l students, though neither offer "full" aid. That is, as much as US kids get. I do not know about Eastern schools.

lynxinsider

You can't really compare the aid policies for domestic and international students at the same school. Some merit issues like high school quality and English proficiency can be difficult to evaluate for international students. Likewise, need issues like income, assets, and expected contributions are very difficult to confirm for students from some nation.

That's not to say that no attempt is made - we require a certain TOEFL score and a certification of finances, but those are very loose proxies for the antecedent characteristics.

Most colleges, while they may base their international student aid on forms of merit or need, have separate aid polices for domestic and international students. Consequently, you can't really say that a college offers "as much as US kids get" to internationals.

What you can compare is the international aid polices across different schools. What you'll find is that wealthier colleges are more generous than less wealthy colleges. You'll also find that wealthier colleges spend more on travel to recruit internationally than less wealthy colleges. Wealthier colleges can afford a greater level of support for international students once they get to campus. All of those things add up to wealthier colleges on average enrolling more international students.

That's not 100% of the story, but it's a big chunk of it.

katliamom

I was unclear in my post, sorry. Obviously the percentage of international students on each campus is due to "institutional priority," as lynxinsider said. In other words - that number depends largely to what extent the school sees value in admitting international students.

But BECAUSE fewer international students apply to begin with, it is often easier to get into and often easier to get FA, in midwestern schools.

JamieBrown

It is not just Midwestern LAC's:

West
16% - Claremont McKenna
10% - Harvey Mudd

East
21% - Bryn Mawr
21% - Mt. Holyoke
14% - Smith
12% - Wellesley