BU surpasses international student growth rate

The amount of international students choosing colleges in the United States for an education is increasing, according to aMonday report from The Institute of International Education, and the number of such students at Boston University is growing at a rate above the national figure.

The 819,644 international students who chose to come to the U.S. for a college education in the 2012-13 academic year added $24 billion to the U.S. economy, according to the report titled “Open Doors.” This is a 7 percent increase from the 2011-12 academic year, the highest the United States has seen in recent years.

Jeanne Kelley, director of BU’s International Student and Scholar Organization, said between the 2011-12 and 2012-13 academic years, BU saw a 9 percent increase in the amount of international students.

“We make it our goal to keep increasing the number of international students here,” Kelley said. “They offer a different perspective to campus, to the classroom and to community life on campus … and provide a more global environment.”

Kelley said the United States has always been a destination for international students, and it is important for universities to find a balance between international and domestic students on campus.

“Between Boston being such an exciting city and having this desired university, they [BU and the city] both combine and attract students from all over the world,” Kelley said.

The number of U.S. students studying in foreign countries rose only by 3 percent, with only about 10 percent of students in U.S. universities studying abroad at some point during their education, according to the study.

Massachusetts experienced a 13 percent increase in international students in the 2012-13 academic year, according to the study. California has the highest number of international students, followed by New York, Texas, Massachusetts and Illinois. Students from China, India and South Korea currently represent 49 percent of the total number of international students in the U.S.

International relations professor Cornel Ban said the high status of U.S. colleges and the participatory nature of professors is what attracts international students to seek out a higher education in America.

“Professors [in the United States] make a point of creating a more horizontal relationship with their students, they seek out their opinions more,” Ban said. “There’s about 30 percent of professors at BU that are foreign-born … That offers a bit of familiarity to these students, gives them that sense of social mobility. I think if the U.S. continues to have a competitive nature among instructors and this kind of diversity, it will continue to appeal to students.”

Compared to other schools, Ban said he sees more of an international student presence at BU. Other countries in the world are trying to create a significant international-student presence, but are still far behind the United States.

“If the U.S. has any promise in the future, I think this is a good thing to keep [international student presence],” Ban said. “It [a global presence] benefits the U.S. economy because there’s students staying in extended periods of time contributing to the U.S. economy. I think pretty much everybody wins here.”

Jerry Liu, a College of Arts and Sciences freshman from China, said he chose to study outside of his home country because higher education in China is not as advanced as the U.S. education system. Additionally, he said pursuing a better education and learning to live independently away from home has been a valuable experience.

“My parents gave me the chance for this adventure to live by myself and learn by myself,” Liu said. “It’s better for me because I can grow and it’s definitely a better education … I chose BU because I’d been here before and found Boston is a great city, there’s no fear of different cultures, knowledge and experience.”

Varsha Naik, a College of Fine Arts freshman from India, said she chose to study in Boston because of the flexibility in the education system.

“I chose to study in the U.S. because of … the endless possibilities,” Naik said. “The U.K., for example, has a very rigid system which I have experienced as I went to a British high school in India … I hope to gain hands-on experience in my field of study [at BU], but more so I just want to discover the possibilities open to me with fine arts and sociology.”

Kevin Adato, a College of Communication junior from Turkey, said by studying in the U.S., he hopes to gain a different perspective on the world.

“I want to major in film production and end up working in the American film industry in the future,” Adato said. “… I try to take advantage of my education in a way that will benefit me in every aspect of my life once I graduate … My experience at BU has been exceptional.”