Immigration is currently a highly debated topic and the United States of America is home to many immigrants. George Mason University and many other colleges and schools in the United States accept students from international countries and are in fact trying to promote their schools to prospective international students, but the question is why.
International students provide new and beneficial opportunities for themselves as well as the staff, faculty, and the entire student population as a whole. George Mason University is seen as a school that is greatly culturally diverse and part of the reason is because of the international student’s program. In an interview done by Nick Anderson, a reporter from The Washington Post, Angel Cabrera, the president of George Mason University, supports the idea that more international students would benefit the college as a whole. He states that “international students bring with them varied perspectives, cultural diversity and opportunities for global learning and connectedness.” The president also stated that the international student program would “boost economic activity.” This exhibits how George Mason and other schools across the country desire a higher population of international students. Anderson also includes that George Mason University hopes to increase its number of international students by 50 percent in five years. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/george-mason-university-seeks-more-foreign-students/2014/02/26/9f9d34aa-9f14-11e3-a050-dc3322a94fa7_story.html?utm_term=.a643c984115d
So far the United states has been in an upward trend in international students from 2000.
Although one would expect the process to apply internationally to be more difficult compared to the admissions process of non international students because they live in another country, the process is actually almost identical. Except, of course, the ability to speak English. https://www2.gmu.edu/admissions-aid/how-apply/international Even though the admissions process is the same, there is one major difference and that is the rate of tuition.
| Tuition Rate for International Students | Tuition Rate for Non International Students |
| $28,622 | $7,976 |
International Students pay the same tuition rate as out of state students. The tuition rate for out of state students is roughly around $28,000 and the tuition rate for an in state student is about $8,000. http://www.collegefactual.com/colleges/george-mason-university/paying-for-college/tuition-and-fees/ That is about four times less than what international students pay to attend school. This raises the question of why does George Mason University and other colleges across the country aim to increase their international student enrollment. Is it really because it would increase cultural diversity or because the tuition rates for international students provide a large amount of funding for the school.
There is a multitude of reasons as to why George Mason University as well a other colleges accept international student and unfortunately funding is one of the more important reasons why however cultural diversity is another. Cultural diversity is an aspect that keeps society thriving. Many organizations such as schools and work places pride themselves on being culturally diverse and use it as one of their main selling points, colleges and universities included.
George Mason University is a school that celebrates cultural diversity. The university had a whole week that was dedicated to international countries and the students, International Week.
During International Week at George Mason, there were events all week that were held by student organizations represent countries all over the world. These events included different aspects and traditions from different countries. These events really helped students share their culture and represent their countries creating a sense of pride in the students.
The United States of America is not the only country that accepts international students, there are many countries in Europe and other continents that have international schools. The official website for George Mason University includes a page that is titled Office of the President which contains information regarding the university. A recent post from the presidential staff discussed how the university is becoming more global. The post discusses how the United States has attracted more international students than any other country, however, colleges in the U.S have a far less percentage of international students than many other countries. https://president.gmu.edu/american-universities-are-less-global-than-you-may-think/ This is a matter that George Mason University aims to improve.
The fact that international countries have a higher enrollment of international students than the United States raises the question of why many international students prefer to go elsewhere besides the United States. One of the most plausible reasons for this is security. The process for getting into the United States could be more difficult for them and recently this is the case for non students as well. Obtaining a visa has become difficult for many under new administration and if this continues the whole aspect of cultural diversity in the United States of America will be hindered.
Referring back to the admissions process for international students, the official web page for the admissions office at George Mason University showed that the process for applying as an international student was similar to that of a non international student. However, there was one small additional step to the process for international students. All international students who are planning to apply to George Mason University are required to verify that they are proficient in the English language. Other countries for example Germany, do not require that students can actually speak German. Instead the schools would try and accommodate English speaking students instead of the other way around. Schools in the United States, however require students to take a test to show that they are proficient and if the student is not proficient instead of rejecting their application, they place the student in a class, in addition the classes that the student is already taking, that will teach them how to become proficient in English. This could be another reason why prospective students prefer attending school in a country other than the United States. The United States tries to conform non native English speakers instead of providing accommodation like the schools in other countries. Although English is considered a universal language, this “special treatment” could lead to bigger gaps and more differences among nations.
In conclusion, schools such as George Mason University aim to increase the amount of international students not just for funding purposes, but also to create a more diverse atmosphere that will benefit all students in the long run.
International Students 