Internationalization for the Sake of Diversity... Really?

As we have already seen discussed on this blog, the topic of the “internationalization” of colleges and universities is rich for debate- particularly as we consider the motivation to bring more international students to campus. Michelle’s post directly inquires if we are seeking “dollars or diversity” and the comments on her post imply that most believe that dollars are likely a more significant factor in the institution’s decision to increase international student recruiting efforts. I do not disagree. However, I often have seen institutions hide their true motivation (money) under the guise of increasing diversity on campus. A major point for internationalization is often the diversity that international students (for the purpose of this post, those on an F or J visa) bring to American colleges and universities. As an example, UNC’s Center for International Education website boasts, “the university embodies the diversity and internationalism that characterizes the United States”.

Although certainly there is no doubt that international students can and do bring diverse perspectives to campus, international students, as a whole, are far from representative of the diversity of the world, or even our country for that matter, as the UNC website implies. In my former role I served as the Primary Designated School Official (PDSO) for issuance of immigration and visa related documents. I was responsible for ensuring that the institution complied with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) policies, in our case, specifically for F-1 visas (one of two types of student visas, the other being the J visa). In this role, in addition to verifying English proficiency, one of my primary responsibilities was to ensure that the College verified that the potential student had the financial means to finance their education, prior to the issuance of the I-20 (the form that the student then uses to apply for his/her visa). For a basic overview of student visa requirements, see http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1268.html.

Given that international students are not eligible for federal or state financial aid, and that their options to work are very limited (by way of their visa status), potential international students are required to demonstrate that they have disposable funds equal to, at a minimum, the entire first year of tuition and living expenses. Practically what does this mean? For me, it meant literally combing through certified bank statements to check to see how much money was in a potential international student’s bank account (or, in some cases, a sponsor’s bank account). So what did this really mean? Since I was working at a private institution, it meant that only incredibly wealthy students had a shot of obtaining a student visa to attend college in the States. Given that international students are not eligible for in-state tuition, the same is likely true at publics, and although to a lesser extent, at community colleges too.

An article in the Chronicle (September, 2011) outlines the efforts at the University of Cincinnati to diversify their international student enrollment. Like most other US colleges, the U. of Cincinnati had many more international students from select countries (namely China, India, and South Korea). To diversify their international student enrollment, they began offering specific scholarships for international students to recruit students from less common feeder countries (scholarships offered by the institution are one of the few forms of financial relief that international students can receive). I applaud the efforts of the U. of Cincinnati and it certainly sounds as though the program is working well for them thus far. I am sure that their campus, and students- both domestic and international- have benefited greatly from their scholarship program.

However, I caution all of us, and our respective institutions, from believing that our international student programs are truly embodying diversity. Sure, we are welcoming the elite from across the world to campus, but these students are almost certainly coming from places of financial privilege, particularly if they are coming from less economically developed countries. Even a $12,000 scholarship (the max offered under the U. of Cincinnati’s Global Scholarship program) covers less than half of the out-of-state tuition at the U. of Cincinnati, and don’t forget to tack on another $11,652 for room and board, not to mention books and other living expenses (including travel to/from your home country to campus). Again, there is no doubt that wealthy international students contribute to our campus climate. However, let’s not kid ourselves that we are anywhere near a truly diverse international student population. In fact, I would argue that our international student body is far less diverse, at least in terms of economic status, than the rest of our student body. If we were truly seeking comprehensive diversity via our international student programs, we would need to be offering full scholarships, along with living stipends, to students from countries across the globe. Now how does that sound to our revenue driven leaders? I thought so.