Overview
The impact of non-U.S. students on American higher
education is varied. While non-U.S. students constitute
2.7% of undergraduates in U.S. programs, non-U.S.
students account for 12% of graduate enrollments and
that percentage is concentrated in a relatively small
number of U.S. universities (Altbach, 2002). Over recent
years, the pool of potential students in the developed
world has been decreasing. However, the demographic
trends in the developing world have been different. “In
fact there is a huge bubble of young people just entering
adulthood, and anxious for access to the advantages of
higher education” (Hira, 2003, p. 915). There is not
enough capacity to support demand for higher education
in some countries. According to Altbach (2004), more
than half of the world’s postsecondary students are in the
developing world today, and that proportion is expected
to grow in the coming decades (Altbach, 2004).