By Janet Haner and Elizabeth Brady, Penn State
University’s global enrollment leads economic impact in Pennsylvania
UNIVERSITY PARK – Penn State is ranked 12th in the nation for its international student enrollment, the university’s highest ranking ever, contributing to a national all-time high in international educational exchange, according to the Institute of International Education’s annual Open Doors report released Nov. 12.
Penn State had a total of 6,075 international students enrolled at University Park and 6,621 University-wide, accounting for more than $187 million in economic impact on the state of Pennsylvania in tuition, fees and living expenses, according to NASFA: Association of International Educators, annual Economic Impact Statement. Penn State edged out the University of Pennsylvania for the first time and leads the state in attracting international students.
“It is exciting to see that the collective efforts of our faculty and staff, aimed at expanding our global reach is yielding positive results,” said Michael Adewumi, vice provost for Global Programs. “We continue to register significant increases in number of international students on our campuses, earning us recognition as a national leader in attracting the best and brightest students from many countries to Penn State.”
Penn State also ranked 11th in the nation for the amount of students participating in Education Abroad opportunities.
“We are pleased to see the number of Education Abroad participants at University Park hold steady, but we sent a total of 2,677 students from across the Commonwealth abroad during the 2010-11 academic year,” said Barbara Rowe, executive director of Education Abroad for the University Office of Global Programs. “We offer more than 200 opportunities around the world for a variety of costs and duration to help more students gain a global experience.”
The Open Doors report is released annually in conjunction with International Education Week, which is celebrated Nov. 12-16, and includes numbers of students engaged in practical training and the Intensive English Communication Program (IECP).
