International student population rising

While student enrollment at Shoreline Community College has dropped from past years, one population has grown dramatically: students from other countries.

In 2000-01, the college had 291 international students. In 2007-08 there were about 560. The number has grown each year since 2000, though this year it’s estimated to level off. Total enrollment at the college was about 10,000 in 2007-08.

International students bring diversity and global perspective to the college, officials say.

But they are also an important part of the college’s budget.

In 2006-07, the college received $12.5 million in student tuition. About $4.5 million of that – roughly one-third – came from international students, according to estimates.

International student tuition for 12 credits, a full-time load, is $2,500 a quarter.

A local student pays $796 and an out-of-state student pays $1,600 for 12 credits per quarter.

“Those tuition rates allow the college to not only meet the needs of the International Program students, but provide services for all students,” college president Lee Lambert said in a statement.

The college recruits heavily abroad for international students. Staff members spend about 16 weeks a year traveling to recruit.

International students come primarily from Asian countries, including South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan and Indonesia. They also come from Britain and Canada among others for a total of 33 countries.

“They bring the world to Shoreline,” said Samira Pardanani, assistant director for admissions and immigration at the college. “In general, if you compare community colleges to four-year universities, not as many domestic students may have the opportunity to interact with people of different countries on a regular basis.”

Shoreline isn’t alone in its growth of international students. Nearby Edmonds Community College had a record number last year — of roughly 19,000 students, 788 were from other countries, a jump from 600 international students in 2006-07.

At Shoreline, most international students take some English language classes before college-level classes, often with the goal of transferring to four-year schools.

“A lot of times international students may or may not have the English proficiency to start out at a four-year university,” said Pardanani.

Students come for the smaller class sizes, she said. They also come for the chance to get a foothold on the language and culture before moving on to a bigger school. Schools that have accepted international students from Shoreline include New York University, Columbia University, the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Southern California.

As for total student enrollment — local, out-of-state and international students — this coming year is estimated to be level with last year. If it is, it will be the first year without a drop since 2002-03.

Partly because of declining enrollment, the college has been plagued with budget problems in recent years which led to layoffs. This coming year it is looking at a balanced budget and no staff cuts.