Mikael Mulugeta, Office of Strategic Communication, 319-384-0052

The University of Iowa continues to be a destination for international students, with 4,300 enrolled or engaged in post-graduation training this fall.
They hail from 114 foreign countries and territories, with more than 60 percent (2,642) hailing from China, according to fall 2016 enrollment statistics from International Student and Scholar Services. The country with the next-highest number of students enrolled at the UI is South Korea, with 336.
Fifty-eight percent (2,522) are undergraduate students, whereas 32 percent (1,389) are graduate and professional students, according to the report. Another 389 students are taking part in post-graduate training.
“Iowa City is a safe community that appeals to the parents of students, and the educational opportunities at the UI continue to draw large numbers of students,” says Downing Thomas, dean of International Programs. “And its reputation and name recognition are strengthened by alumni who return to their home countries and speak well of their experience here.”
Top UI international student enrollment, by country, in 2016:
Source: Fall 2016 International Student and Scholar Services Enrollment Statistics
According to a report by the National Association of Foreign Student Advisers (NAFSA) included as part of the 2016 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange, international students at the UI contributed $146.6 million to the local economy and supported 1,805 jobs. International students enrolled at colleges and universities statewide contributed $365.8 million to Iowa’s economy and supported 3,710 jobs.
Because of its robust international student enrollment—compare the current 4,300 international students to the 1,792 enrolled in 2000—the university has implemented several new programs to help students acclimate and adjust to life in Iowa City and on the UI campus. The programs also help create opportunities for understanding among domestic and international students, Thomas says.
New this year are:
“The great thing is that some of these steps forward have been made by faculty and staff, and some have come from the students,” says Thomas. “It is a collective effort to keep the UI a premier destination for international students.”
And, after international students receive their degrees from the UI, they’re returning to their home countries and organizing IOWA clubs with other alumni for networking and socialization. IOWA clubs number 17 to date, with two new clubs established in Beijing and Shanghai in 2016.
“There are no better ambassadors for the UI than its former students, whether they come from the U.S. or another part of the world,” Thomas says. “We’re excited that our international alumni are organizing to form connections around their Hawkeye experience.”