U.S. colleges seek foreign students for intellectual stimulus, better bottom line - The Washington Post

U.S. colleges seek foreign students for intellectual stimulus, better bottom line - The Washington Post: ...These students are joining the fast-growing international population at U.S. colleges. There were about 690,000 foreign students in the 2009-10 school year, up 26 percent from a decade before. In the same time, the total at the University of Virginia rose 44 percent.

China is the biggest supplier of foreign students, providing 18 percent of the nationwide total, according to the Institute of International Education, although India (15 percent) and South Korea (10 percent) are not far behind. This academic exchange offers U.S. universities a chance to influence a rising generation of global business and political leaders.

Driving the growth are affluent families, many from Asia, who value Western education and can afford to pay full price. U-Va. recruiters in China also find it helps to be able to mention the school’s famous founder, Thomas Jefferson.