The United States continues to be the most desirable study destination within the world (Source: i-graduate). International student enrollment grew by 16.5 percent in the last four years across the United States according to the IIE open door report. The competition among universities for qualified students with sufficient financial means is increasing on a global scale. Canada and Australia recently launched new initiatives to bolster their competitiveness.
For this analysis, we are looking at the competition within the United States for international students. How is New York doing?
Graph 1 displays universities with the highest percentage growth rates in New York State. Hofstra, CUNY and New School have shown the highest percentage growth rates among the top 20 universities in the state ranging from 40 to 140 percent. Hofstra, more than doubled their international student body by enrolling roughly 400 more international students in 2012 compared to 2009. This does not put Hofstra among the top 20 universities with the largest number of international students in NY state, which are shown in Graph 2.
Obviously, it is easier to grow with a smaller student base than New York University which grew 28% during the past four years and now has more than 8,600 international students.
Again, Graph 2 shows the universities with the largest number of international students in New York State. The biggest brands NYU and Columbia (8,000 international students) also show the largest number of students. SUNY is an interesting case since it is divided into many campuses but has made a concerted effort to grow its international footprint SUNY Aims to Increase International Enrollment by 14,000 Students Over Next Five Years
Graph 1
The other aspect is the percentage of international students of the total student population. We don’t believe that there is a correct percentage as this depends on the type of students, level of English and support available, but university admissions officers have to balance many facets of building a diverse, academically strong, and financially acceptable class. The successful and highly branded universities are also hitting diversity ceilings since they want and should remain U.S. student centered academic institutions.
From an overall U.S. economic as well as an institutional perspective, we have an interest in broadening the group of universities and colleges who are successful in recruiting internationally as much as possible.
Graph 2 
If you are interested in other regions, please check out our other blogs on Massachusetts, the Midwest and the U.S. universities as a whole.
