The "Redirecting" of International Students: American Higher Education Policy Hindrances and Implications.

AbstractInternational student mobility in higher education has gained currency as an important topic in today's global, political, and economic environment. United States postsecondary institutions are working to expand their international student population to increase revenue and diversity. The current higher education and economic context has produced a "global war" to identify, recruit, and matriculate talented students who have become more mobile when selecting postsecondary education destinations. Thus, in order to provide a clear picture of the current status of international student migration to the United States, we sought to understand the following: 1) prestige as a determining factor in the selection of studying abroad for non-Americans living outside the United States; 2) federal and state financial influences that directly affect institutions' abilities to enroll foreign students; 3) implications for postsecondary institutions in the United States; and 4) implications for scientific, cultural, and economic advancement for the United States.Keywords: International students, migration, financial influences, higher educationAs the political and economic world becomes increasingly globalized, students are gradually becoming more mobile as they select postsecondary education destinations. Thus, higher education mobility becomes increasingly important as institutions gravitate towards internationalization in response to globalization (Altbach, 2004; Altbach & Knight, 2007). The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2013) defines international students as those students who have crossed a national or territorial border for the purpose of education and are now enrolled outside their country of origin. Given this definition, there were two million international students enrolled in postsecondary institutions of higher education around the world in 2001. By 2009, that number increased by 65% to 3.3 million students (Institute of International Education, 2010). This trend will likely continue unabated as international student growth is expected to reach 8 million by 2025 (Fischer, 2009; Guruz, 2011).American postsecondary institutions have been the destination of choice for many international students (Lee, 2010). Of the 3.3 million international students, 21% were enrolled on U.S. campuses (Institute of International Education 2010). When compared to the total enrollment in higher education, international students accounted for 723,277 or less than 4% of the US total enrollment figures in higher education during the 2010-2011 academic year (Institute of International Education 2011, Open Door Fast Facts). Although this is a small fraction of total enrollments in American higher education, this is still a sizable and growing number that warrants further examination.With the perpetual influx of international students into U.S. higher education, it is paramount that recruiters, student affairs professionals, and public policy makers understand American higher education's appeal, international student experiences on U.S. campuses, and the policy implications associated with growing international student populations. Therefore, the four aims of this paper were to better understand: 1) prestige as a determining factor in the selection of studying abroad for non-Americans living outside the United States; 2) federal and state financial influences that directly affect institutions' abilities to enroll foreign students; 3) implications for postsecondary institutions in the United States; and 4) implications for scientific, cultural, and economic advancement for the United States.To limit the scope of the research, we will concentrate on those students who obtain undergraduate and graduate degrees from U.S. public and non-profit private postsecondary institutions. In addition, various factors related to migration will not be explored as they are beyond the scope and influence of U.S. policy-makers. …