U.S. Universities Accept Record Number of Foreign Students

Published March 25, 2015 at 1:33 PM EDT

International students are pictured at Purdue University, which ranks second in the U.S. for its population of foreign students. (purdue.edu)

A new report released today by the Department of Homeland Security, says the number of international students being accepted by American universities is at an all-time high of 1.13 million. The number accepted is up 14 percent from last year, and nearly 50 percent from 2010.

Many colleges and universities are welcoming – and even recruiting – international students, as a way to offset smaller state financial support and keep tuition low for domestic students. But critics say an increase in foreign students means fewer spots for those at home.

Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson speaks with Kevin MacLennan, admissions director at the University of Colorado, Boulder, who has a goal to increase the percentage of international students at the school from 6.5 percent to 10 percent in the next three to five years.

The top five campuses for international students, according to the Department of Homeland Security, are:

University of Southern California
Purdue University
Columbia University
University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
New York University

Guest

Kevin MacLennan, admissions director for the University of Colorado, Boulder.