University looks to diversify its international student body

Almost 75 per cent of foreign students at University of Alberta come from China

The University of Alberta is working to bring a more diverse mix to its international student body by 2020.

To shift the imbalance, the university will need to redirect some of its attention away from China while engaging in new and burgeoning markets while establishing a fresh set of diversity goals, university officials said.

Close to 30 per cent of undergraduate tuition for the university comes from overseas. Of the 4,147 international students enrolled in September 2016, almost 75 per cent — or 3,072 students — are from China.

Students from India were the second largest group, numbering just 105.

Being that student tuition is the second largest contributor to the university budget, behind the Campus Alberta Grant from the provincial government, such lack of diversity is a financial risk the university needs to avoid, said Britta Baron, vice-provost and associate vice-president of international programs.

Should anything jeopardize the long-standing relationship the University of Alberta has developed with China, such as students being restricted or prevented from coming to the province, the loss “would cause serious financial trouble for the university,” Baron said.

A diversification strategy also benefits the university by building on its already strong reputation as a truly international campus and allows domestic students to profit from being around “a richness of perspectives,” Baron said.

The situation at the University of Alberta is not unique.

In 2015, there were more than 1.26 million Chinese students studying abroad in 80 countries. About 120,000 of those chose to study in Canada.

Students from China comprise 61 per cent of the University of Toronto’s international student base and 57 per cent at both Simon Fraser University in British Columbia and the University of Waterloo in Ontario.

BUILDING ON SUCCESS

How the University of Alberta ended up with the majority of foreign students originating from one country goes back to when, under the leadership of thenpresident Indira Samarasekera, the institution sought to become an international player with global relevance.

About 10 years ago, less than five per cent of the undergraduate population were international students. Samarasekera launched a “dynamically driven” recruitment campaign to bring that up to 15 per cent.

China became the obvious market — the quality of their education system was and still is one of the best in the world and there is a huge reservoir of young, talented students from middle-class families who have the brains and the bankroll to study abroad.

It also helped that the university had a strong presence of Chinese academics dedicated to strengthening ties between their country and the university.

But the university’s success in developing that long-lasting relationship with China helped create the imbalance.

“If you are only attracting students from one country, that is not necessarily evidence of a globally strong reputation, that is only evidence of a strong reputation in a given country,” Baron said.

“We do believe the presence of international students is enriching the academic experience for all students because it brings in a broader range of perspectives.

“But if that is only one country, again, it’s not giving our students exposure to a globally interesting and relevant environment.”

That’s why the university is building recruitment activities in countries like India and Sri Lanka. Rapidly growing middle classes in Pakistan and Bangladesh make them attractive markets as well.

NEXT STEPS

Once the university defines its diversity goals, Baron said the change to the campus demographics will shift gradually over the coming years.

Part of the challenge the institution faces is increased competition from other Canadian and U.S. universities, which are also growing to rely on international tuition income to boost budgets.

Another challenge stems from countries with education systems that are not as developed or compatible with the system in Canada. That means the university will also need to develop pathway programs that will bridge that education divide and prepare students for their overseas university experience, Baron said.

“It is harder to recruit in countries other than China because there is simply not that huge pool of students who are ready to go abroad and capable academically and financially to go abroad,” she said.

To achieve its goals, the university will tinker with its recruitment strategy and methodology. In short, the university’s international recruitment team will “need to become smarter, more targeted, and more tightly managed.”

That means bolstering its use of technology in the recruitment process.

While the university will continue to use its traditional network of international recruiters and part-time overseas contractors to entice students to Alberta, it will expand on its use of things like virtual open houses, which draw the interest of thousands of prospective students from across the world.

Baron said the university is “quite advanced compared to its Canadian peers” in terms of their use of technology in recruitment, but they’ve only just scratched the surface of possibilities.

We do believe the presence of international students is enriching the academic experience for all students BRITTA BARON