Note: This article is the final in a series that examines University of Oregon’s trends on admittance, application rates and demographics. You can read part one here and part two here.
When UO student Yawei Zhang was still living in China about six years ago, he was given a list of eight universities to choose from in the U.S. These were the top picks for the education agency in China that matched him to ideal candidates for studying in America.
Zhang, president of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association, said students in his home country face fierce competition for getting acceptance at Chinese universities. As a result they turn to U.S. schools.
International students are flocking to Oregon’s flagship university in record-high numbers – now comprising 12 percent of UO’s student body.
“It’s been the plan for a while,” Univeristy of Oregon Director of International Affairs Abe Schafermeyer said.
When he started at the UO in 2002, international students comprised only 7 percent of the UO.
“Ten percent was a goal then, and it seemed a pretty lofty goal that I wasn’t sure we were going to attain,” Schafermeyer said.
In fact, the UO has begun to see enough applicants from overseas that the university will look to tighten its admission criteria.
“We’ve met our goal. We’re not scrambling for nonresident tuition the way other small schools are,” Schafermeyer said.
The increase in applicants from international students has resulted in requiring international students to make deposits as a commitment to the university. The deposit went into effect fall 2013, Schafermeyer said
International students are coming to colleges across the U.S. in droves.
“My mom said, ‘America has best education in the world and here it’s more freedom,’” Rita Wang, CSSA vice president, said.
While this trend is not unique to Eugene, a variety of factors may make the UO popular among the global community.
For international students, Schafermeyer says the UO is typically sought as an undergrad liberal arts institution. But the governmental scholarship that allows so many Saudis to study in the U.S. is shifting away from undergrads and focusing on grads.
Zhang added many things about the UO are attractive to the international student, including the environment and weather, no sales tax and the school’s ranking on US News.
But the UO is also known for its famous alumni. Zhang says many Chinese students know UO as the alma mater of the wildly popular actor Daniel Wu and Peggy Yu, a co-founder of Chinese e-commerce giant DangDang. Even the history of Nike plays a role.
“People ask, ‘what’s UO?’ The first thing I say is Daniel Wu graduate here, and Nike was born here,” Zhang said.
The increase in international students at the UO — now at the highest percentage in school history — are changing the campus community. Schafermeyer said he gets calls regularly from staff and faculty who now notice that half of their classes are from abroad.
“(This) changes how they deliver curriculum, measure outcomes, and give tests,” Schafermeyer said
In addition to changes to the UO, the influx of international students has also changed the workforce of Eugene. Schafermeyer’s seen an increase in international students seeking professional experience and internships.
“They want to become professionals in the working world,” Schafermeyer said. “Our international students, like our domestic students, are searching for opportunities.”