Statistics about international students at Ole Miss since 1993

By Gjoko Dungevski

Jour 377

Instructor: D. Jackson

Wordcount: 750

Since 1995 the number of international undergraduate students has dropped in half but the number of international graduate students keeps growing, according to the Office of International Students annual reports.

The Asian student population dominates throughout each school year, dating back since 1993 until now; second is Europe followed by Africa, Latin America, Middle East, North America and Oceania. India is the leading country of origin.

The Asian student population dominates not only at Ole Miss but also throughout the U.S., said Jean Robinson, assistant director at the Office of International Programs.

The Higher Education Research Institute confirms this statement. The Asian student population has been on a stable increase ever since 1971.

“People who have the means to pursue higher education at this point and more than what can be handled in their countries so they have to look elsewhere,” Robinson said.

Not only they come for the higher education but also because they have families who live here in the U.S. or have friends who have been, or are currently enrolled, at the university. They find the community interesting and welcoming and perceive the environment less threatening compared to where they come from, said Donna Chappel, administrative coordinator at the Office of International Programs.

An interesting fact about these numbers is that in the history of international students at Ole Miss, there was only one student from Australia in 1998.

One reason might be the distance but more importantly “Australia struggles to attract students as well, which is why we don’t see many Australian students here,” said Jean Robinson.

But the numbers of international students at UM hasn’t been always constant.

During the school year 1993-94, Ole Miss had a total number of 631 international students. This number gradually declined and inclined throughout the years. Currently there are 581 international students at UM.

The biggest decline was during the 1998-’99 school year when the numbers dropped 14.4%. From a total number of 507 international students in ’97-98, the following year this number went down to 434.

The decline in numbers is a result of multiple factors, say experts in the reports.

Some of these factors include lower cost alternatives in home countries, the continued strength of the U.S. dollar, difficulties obtaining visas, increased tuition fees and even perceptions that U.S. is unwelcoming for international students, according to the ’04-06 annual reports.

Visa regulations have tightened even more since the Patriot Act in 2001, which is another reason why the number of international students has either decreased or stayed stable from 2000 until 2006.

According to Jean Robinson, the tight visa regulations just slowed down the process of obtaining a visa for international students.

Robinson said that she didn’t encounter issues from students such as visa denials. She said that delays of visa issuance caused students to come at a later date, or semester, instead of when they intended to.

“The problems are more like ‘I can’t come now, I’m still waiting. Can I come in spring or fall?’” said Robinson.

For undergraduate students, for instance, these delays do not represent a big problem because all they need to do is update their admissions status.

But for graduate students, depending on the department they are applying at, it’s a bit different. In general though, some of the departments tend to allow students to be able to defer their assistantships, said Robinson.

“It’s not in the interest of the United States to keep good students out. They work diligently to get them here,” said Donna Chappel.

Ever since the university launched recruitment campaign in 2002, however, UM has seen some incline in the numbers, the reports show.

The biggest increase, however, was during the 2008-09 school year when the numbers increased 14.9%. From 490 international students during ’07-08, in ‘08-09 this number went up to 563.

“International students make a significant economic and social contribution to the University, not only to students but to faculty as well,” said Tayla Burns, international programs advisor.

On average 60%, throughout the years, receive support for their studies from personal/family sources, show the reports.

Those of the students, however, who cannot afford to support their own studies, seek funding from other agencies, from the public or private sector.

Other sources include support from a home university/government, U.S. college or university, international organizations, U.S. government, private U.S./foreign businesses etc.

Tayla Burns talks about the recruitment campaign and how UM is willing to attract more international students.

Go to: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-20Op-5W8c