[photopress:MBA_students_abroad.jpg,full,alignright]This year U.S. business schools will reach even more international students. According to a study released by the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) a jump in overseas applications and admission offers will increase international student populations at U.S. schools — particularly business programs.
Admission offers to students from China grew by 15% making them one of the largest overseas groups in theory coming to the United States.
But there is a problem. Kenneth Redd, the author of the study and director of Research & Policy Analysis at the Council of Graduate Schools, said the number of these international students who will actually actually make it to campus is another matter.
Stricter visa requirements have decreased the number of international students coming into the U.S. Kenneth Redd said, ‘We’re hoping to see that the changes made by the State Department will alleviate some of the barriers for student visas and will be reflected in our enrollment numbers, but there seems to be a backlog of complaints from our consulates.’
Kenneth Redd said that while application rates for business programs have been leveling off since 2005, this year’s study shows a significant increase in international students who want to pursue business-related fields.
He said, ‘What you’re seeing is business increasing faster than the overall average. It’s an indication of foreign students who are wanting to learn about American business practices.’
According to the survey the international applicant pool is also growing faster at universities that have smaller international populations. Overall the percentage of Chinese applying may have increased 15% at the 50 universities with the largest international populations but, for those outside of the 50 largest, there was a 38% surge.
The study found that nearly 30% of American universities have established collaborative degree programs with international universities. And 44% of all U.S. business schools plan to establish at least one international program in the next two years.
International programs include dual-degree programs (in which graduates receive degrees from both institutions) and joint-degree programs (in which graduates receive only one degree), as well as other programs including MBA and executive MBA options.
Source: BusinessWeek
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