Economy may affect international enrollment
International and American students face the same financial issues.
Published Nov. 18, 2008
The declining economy has affected many aspects of life at MU, but it is too early to tell what effect it will have on the enrollment of international students at the university.
"It's possible that the economic slowdown could lead to fairly stable or even increased enrollment in universities like Mizzou," International Center director James Scott said. "If fewer jobs are open, students could decide to keep pursuing more coursework."
While this rationale applies to both domestic and international students, international students are also influenced by other financial factors.
Scott said China, South Korea and India as the most common native countries for international students at MU.
"Recently, because of the economic growth in China, more families have been able to send their children here," Scott said. "It's not clear if this will change."
Students also make the decisions on where to attend school based on the accessibility to higher education in their home countries, International Center assistant director David Currey said.
"People will enroll at the university they think provides the best quality at the best value for their money," Scott said.
Prakash Jayabalan, a graduate research fellow from the United Kingdom, agreed with Scott.
"The economy did not effect my decision to join MU," he said. "The opportunity to further my career and knowledge outweighed my monetary concerns."
However, there is also cause for concern that the amount of international students at MU will decrease.
"Many of the issues facing domestic students will be the same for internationals, including the possibility of rising tuition costs, reduced availability of financial aid and/or on-campus employment, increased living expenses, etc.," Scott said.
The American economy may also influence whether or not students return to their home countries after graduation.
"The vast majority of undergraduates have returned home. They have very strong cultural and family ties," Currey said.
But some students see the United States as the best place for them to build a future.
"America is certainly the land of opportunity and the opportunities I was given here at Mizzou have been more than I could have wished for," Jayabalan said. "Due to the success of my research and the amount I have learnt in the short time I have been here, I am now very much considering the possibility of pursuing residency over in the United States."
It is too early to compile statistics for Fall Semester 2008.
"I'm fairly certain the number of international students is higher than last year by as much as 100 students," Currey said.
The trend applies to countries other than America as well.
"The international student 'market' is projected to increase worldwide from the current estimate of 2.7 million annually to more than 7 million annually by 2025," Currey said. "The changing economic outlook will certainly influence these projections, but to what extent is anyone's guess at this point."
Whatever effect the economy has on students' decisions, Currey said he is is confident that MU's international program will thrive.
"Depsite the current economic uncertainties, I'm still confident that MU's academic quality, cutting-edge research, public service and economic development initiatives will continue to attract some of the world's best and brightest international students and scholars for many years to come," he said.