Mychal Garcia, a senior Spanish and Latin American studies double major, processes paperwork in the International Student Services office. The office handles international student advising and admissions along with the study abroad program.
The number of international students studying in the United States has seen a steady increase in the United States and California, according to a report issued by the Institute of International Education last week.
United States
The U.S. has seen an increase of about 300,000 students in the past decade, with more than 72 percent of U.S. institutions reporting an increase of foreign students enrolling, according to a report by the Institute of International Education.
The countries that have the most students enrolled in the U.S. include China, with about 235,000 students, India, with about 97,000 and South Korea, with about 70,000 students, according to the report.
California
An estimated 80,000 of these students have made their way to California for education at state universities and community colleges.
The California State University system currently has about 20,000 international students enrolled and has not seen an increase since 2006, said Mike Uhlenkamp, a spokesman for the CSU.
While it is estimated that international students bring about $24.7 billion to the U.S. economy every year, it is unknown how much money they bring to the CSU system, Uhlenkamp said.
“International students pay the out-of-state tuition price, so it just shows up as an out-of-state student,” Uhlenkamp said. “That information is not readily available.”
Chico State
Chico State has about 600 international students currently enrolled, said Hayley Chamberlain, a student assistant for the office of international studies on campus. A lot of these students come from Saudi Arabia and Asia, she said.
“The number of European students is low because they are only here for a semester or a year,” Chamberlain said. “The students from Asia and the middle east are typically degree-seeking, and end up finishing their degrees here.”
Most foreign students on Chico’s campus study business and engineering, said Frank Li, the director of international education.
International students on campus brought in $8.2 million in tuition and student fees during the 2012-2013 school year, Li said. One-third of this money goes toward a state grant for students in the program, and the rest goes toward paying for programs and resources on campus. They also bring more than $6 million to the Chico economy each year, Li said.
But their contributions aren’t just monetary, Li said.
“They bring diversity, which our school values, a global outlook for faculty and students. They provide an opportunity to key into global perspectives for the modern 21st century, which should be a very important mandate for every university.”
Aubrey Crosby can be reached at [email protected] or @aubreycrosby on Twitter.
