University of Iowa managing the international student surge

IOWA CITY — A push to grow the student body is underway at the University of Iowa. But that doesn't necessarily include international students.

If anything, admissions officials said they want to diversify the UI international student population — not by enrolling more students from other countries but by bringing in students from a greater number of countries. In fall 2013, about 60 percent of the UI's 4,049 international students were from China.

'While the University of Iowa does not hope to increase its international student enrollment, the school does plan on doing more targeted recruiting,' said Michael Barron, assistant provost for enrollment management and executive director of admissions. 'But there is no absolute target for growth of international students at this time.'

The university's international student population has exploded in recent years — jumping 88 percent since 2007, when the UI reported 2,153 international students. It has more than doubled since 2000, when 1,792 international students made the UI their campus home.

Much of the surge is because of an influx in Chinese applicants.

'Most public research universities are literally awash in applications from students from China,' Barron said, explaining that China doesn't have enough seats at its universities for all its prospective students. 'So as much as I would like to take credit for the Chinese student growth at Iowa, I can't.

'We have admitted who we have admitted, but we haven't directly recruited each and every one of them.'

Largest national representations among University of Iowa international students Source: University of Iowa 2013 Profile of International Students and Scholars

Iowa State University also isn't seeking to enroll more students from China, but — unlike UI recruiters — ISU and the University of Northern Iowa aim to grow their overall international student population.

For all three schools, international programming — including recruiting and on-campus initiatives — is geared toward fostering a healthy and successful global experience on campus for both foreign and domestic students.

Part of that, according to university officials, involves developing the infrastructure to support foreign students and assist them in a new learning environment, such as courses in English as a second language and indoctrination in American culture.

But a consultant recently hired by the Board of Regents to conduct a broad review of the universities' operations identified international student support as a challenge that needs to be addressed.

The 'international student population has increased and will continue to increase. Meanwhile, unclear division of roles and responsibilities exist between admissions, international programs and departments,' according to a report compiled by the consultant, Deloitte Consulting LLP.

Although not named as a project the universities should tackle immediately, Deloitte in its report suggested better coordinating international recruiting efforts across the regents system.

'While (the UI) does not hope to increase international student enrollment, the school does plan on more targeted recruiting to attract high-quality students,' according to the report. 'UNI and ISU hope to increase international student enrollment.'

Quality vs. quantity

Enrollment at the three universities, specifically as to what types of students enroll, has become a hot topic since the Board of Regents in June approved a new way of allocating state dollars that ties 60 percent of the money to in-state enrollment.

That has each university stressing homegrown students as their priority — although admissions officials said they value out-of-state and international students both because they diversify the campuses and pay more tuition.

'We have an interest here in having a diverse mix of students from across Iowa, the country and the world,' Barron said. 'It enriches educational experience when you have that mix.'

The regents' new funding model also ties money to things such as graduate and professional student enrollment, progress and attainment, and research. And so, as far as international recruiting is concerned, Barron said UI is focused on enrolling those students with the greatest chance at success.

'We are interested as much in quality as we are in quantity,' he said. 'The international students we offer admission to have to meet higher standards than we require for domestic non-resident students, and higher standards than we require of Iowa students.'

Efforts to diversify the UI international student body are focused on South American, the Middle East, and other parts of Asia, including nations such as Turkey, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brazil. That targeted work could result in a modest bump in international students on the UI campus, Barron said.

'We can handle more'

As with Iowa, Iowa State's international student body is 'China heavy,' said Patricia Parker, associate director of ISU admissions, operations and policy.

'I think we can handle more students, but I'm not sure we could handle more Chinese students,' Parker said.

Iowa State, which had 3,797 international students in fall 2013, wants to increase its international numbers by tracking new opportunities in emerging countries.

'We have stopped going to China and increased our travel to certain regions of the world,' Parker said. 'You are always keeping your finger on the pulse of trends and mobility and making sure you know where there is interest and where there is economic growth.'

Iowa State has been spending its time and resources in countries such as India, Malaysia, Nigeria and South Korea.

It also has been going to Latin American and the Middle East. Recruiters, according to Parker, are looking for academically qualified students who can pay most, if not all, of their own tuition.

Parker said the fact that international students don't receive as much financial aid as local students makes them a priority — even with the new regent funding model.

'If we get more international students, that helps with our income,' she said.

UNI, which reported 520 international students in fall 2013, always is looking to increase its global student presence on campus both by adding recruiting officers and resources and by bolstering on-campus programming for the foreign population.

Unlike the other two universities, UNI gets most of its international students from Saudi Arabia, Ketelsen said. It recently added two international recruiters focused on networking and building relationships with student pipelines in other countries — one is focused on South America and the other on the Middle East.

'Networking is critical,' Ketelsen said. 'That's really the way you make progress.'