UWM foreign student population up, as Wisconsin admissions drop sharply

UW-Milwaukee ranks as the second highest educational institution in the state for foreign student admissions, says a new report. The finding comes as the number of new UWM students from Wisconsin has plummeted over recent years, while the university makes up the gap in part with a growing number of foreign students, especially those from Asia.

The 2014 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange cited a 12.9 percent spike in international student populations in Wisconsin since last year, with Chinese nationals making up the majority, 36 percent, of the total population.

With a little over 1,600 on campus, UWM ranks only behind UW-Madison with its approximately 5,718 enrolled foreign students. Marquette University is placed third with over 700 students, followed by the University of Wisconsin- La Crosse and the University of Wisconsin- Stout. Chinese undergraduate and graduate students make up the majority of each university’s population, trailed by South Korean, Indian, Saudi Arabian, and Brazilian citizens.

In 2013, under 24,000 undergraduate and graduate students from Wisconsin were admitted to UWM, down from almost 27,000 in the peak year since 2004, which was 2010, according to the Office of Assessment and Institutional Research. Meanwhile, the number of students from Asia rose to almost 1,400 in 2013, the highest year since at least 2004. (UWM is also seeing growing numbers of students from some other states within America, such as those from Illinois, as its Wisconsin admissions drop).

The influx of Chinese to UWM’s student body is perhaps unsurprising given the university’s inviting nature towards the booming Asian country’s students. UWM has long since desired a more internationally renowned reputation. In a 2011 university press release, then Chancellor Michael Lovell was featured signing an agreement with a Chinese education and research network (CERNET Education Development Co.) which would establish English language programs and promote the university in Beijing and other prominent Chinese markets.

Among those attracted to the American collegiate system was former UWM student and Chinese citizen Yu Lin. Lin, 20, now a graduate student of Mass Communication at UW-Whitewater, moved to Milwaukee to study broadcast journalism. She cites two reasons why American universities prove popular among her countrymen.

“First, Chinese students and other foreign students choose American universities because they have good educational qualities and are worldwide accredited universities,” says Lin. “Second, I think the main reason why increasing numbers of Chinese students come to American universities is due to President Obama wanting to make money off Chinese students. That is why the American government approves more Chinese student VISAs and allows Chinese students to come to U.S. schools.”

Indeed, nationally, the number of Chinese students in the U.S. has increased by 75 percent since 2012, according to the Institute of International Education.

Tim Hathaway, assistant director for China Initiatives at UWM’s Center for International Education, says China’s elite universities have become “bottlenecked,” forcing students to look outside the country for quality education. Likewise, attracting these foreign students is becoming a vital step for universities facing tough economic times.

“The enrollment trends in Wisconsin are similar to those across the United States. The high school population is declining, and it has been happening for about 20 years now. Both state and private schools are facing this predicament,” says Hathaway. “It affects everything, especially now that state funding from the legislature has been declining. One way to address this is through international admittance.”

Monetary needs aside, retaining and making sure international students have good experiences have become key initiatives among universities such as UWM. A decline in domestic students and an increase in international students have meant campus faculty and staff taking efforts to adjust their teaching methods so these students do well in and out of the classroom.

“A huge component of what we do here at the Center for International Education is what you could call internationalization. I work a lot with faculty members across campus that have new groups of international students that behave differently,” says Hathaway. “Many do not know the forms of citation, or they might not participate as much in the classroom like for example Asian students.”

Early this year, Hathaway, with advisers of both the business and engineering departments, began development on a class which would cater specifically to Chinese international students. The class would allow undergraduates to develop social skills and academic skills like how to write formal emails to professors.

Another one of the Center for Intentional Education’s tasks is assisting university departments as they communicate with their international partnerships and understanding cultural differences and dealing with miscommunications with their “sister” universities. There is also a need for UWM staff to assist with immigration and green card concerns.