Opening the Doors to Growing International Student Population

Generation Z has entered the building. And the newest group of residents has a subset that is especially attractive for student housing operators. With their strength in numbers and financial stability, international students have steadily become a desirable demographic. Because they seek greater educational opportunities and the prestige of attending American universities, international student enrollment in the U.S. has grown 58 percent in the last 10 academic years. Based on data for 2018-19 compiled by the Institute of International Education, about 1.1 million students from outside the U.S. registered, marking the fourth straight year that enrollments topped seven figures − almost double from a decade ago. Engineering programs attracted almost a quarter of students, and, as might be expected, pupils mostly flocked to schools on the East and West coasts. Four of the top 10 schools with the most international enrollments are in New York − New York University had 19,605 students in 2018-19. At some schools, international students compose upwards of 30 percent of total enrollment. Because they typically pay their own way, international students are coveted by educational institutions and student housing operators. Compared to their U.S. counterparts, they depend less on financial aid and, until lately, haven’t really been bothered by the high cost of an American education. High tuition and other factors are being blamed for a recent dip in new enrollments of international undergraduate students. However, for the third straight year, undergraduate enrollments dropped from a high of 119,000 in 2015-16 to 107,000 in 2018-19. Forbes cites expense, which averages about three times the going rate paid by U.S. students, as a big reason. Also, the Wall Street Journal reports that the drop may be attributed to international students simply feeling unwelcome because of politics, fear, geography and branding. Meanwhile, graduate student enrollments ti...