By Jeff Murphy,
November 22, 2022
WARRENSBURG, MO 鈥 The 欧美视频鈥檚 commitment to meet the higher
education needs of students across the globe are contributing to international enrollment
increases that are the highest in the state among public institutions and have positioned
UCM as a national leader in international enrollment. UCM鈥檚 status as a popular choice
for students outside the country was confirmed in the Open Doors庐 2022 Report on International
Educational Exchange released in November by the U.S. Department of State鈥檚 Bureau
of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Institute of International Education (IIE).
The report notes that following a national lull in international enrollment due to
COVID-19, there was an increase of 948,519 in students from more than 200 places of
origin who studied at U.S. colleges and universities during the 2021-2022 academic
year. While the nation鈥檚 new international student enrollment increased by 80 percent,
following the pandemic, UCM鈥檚 international student population for 2021-2022 grew
to 2,063, up from 1,442 from the previous year (based on IPEDS data). This gave the
university the sixth highest international enrollment on the Open Doors list of Leading
Master鈥檚 Colleges and Universities. It also gave UCM the 108th highest international
enrollment among all public and private degree-granting institutions, doctoral, masters,
and bachelors. UCM鈥檚 enrollment numbers in both categories were larger than any other
Missouri state-supported universities that were named in the report.
According to the news release that was issued by cooperating organizations, the Open
Doors庐 report is evidence of the strong interest international students have in making
the United States their top destination worldwide in which to pursue a higher education
in person. The report notes that 90 percent of enrolled international students have
returned to the U.S. for in-person learning. This, according to the U.S. Department
of Commerce, contributed $32 billion to the nation鈥檚 economy in 2021.
鈥淲e are thrilled to see international student numbers on the rise, and to see the
United States maintain its global leadership as the top destination of choice for
international students,鈥 said Lee Satterfield, assistant secretary of state for Educational
and Cultural Affairs. 鈥淯.S. colleges and universities are places of inspiration, innovation,
and opportunity - providing the skills and networks necessary to solve global challenges.鈥
Satterfield added that welcoming international students to campuses and communities
in the U.S. is 鈥渁t the heart of people-to-people diplomacy and a foundational component
of our U.S. foreign policy strategy to attract the top talent to the United States.鈥
Phil Hull, director of International Student Services at UCM, stated that during the
2021-2022 academic year the university had 35 unique countries represented. This compares
to 32 countries the previous year. Top senders in order of the highest international
student enrollment at UCM include India, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Kenya, Japan and Nepal.
Students from all countries contribute to a campus that is rich in cultural diversity.
鈥淭he recent Open Doors report shows that international students are returning to the
United States for in-person learning, and we see that trend here on UCM's Warrensburg
and Lee's Summit campuses,鈥 Hull said. 鈥淚nternational students have, for many decades,
contributed in so many important ways to the 欧美视频. They
diversify our campuses by sharing their cultures during events like the fall Food
Festival and spring Culture Night, and their perspectives and insights in the classroom.
In short, their presence and their stories show us that the world is, indeed, small
and that learning at UCM is both local and global.鈥