AIRC Issues National Recommendations for Improving International Student Recruitment and Enrollment in the U.S. (August 2023)

The American International Recruitment Council (AIRC) announces the release of recommendations to help increase international student enrollment in the United States. The recommendations are intended for all international student recruitment and enrollment entities, including AIRC members, partners, stakeholders, and government officials.

Developed over the past two years by a working group with input provided by the AIRC membership, government agencies, and sister associations, the recommendations focus on supporting two critical areas important to international student educational avenues: 1) promoting the many and diverse U.S. educational entry points to expand access to international student mobility, and 2) facilitating the connections between these entry points.

AIRC President Derrick Alex commented, “These recommendations encourage us to value and promote the enormous breadth of educational options offered by institutions and organizations in the United States. If we support and promote the diverse range of educational opportunities that serve as entry points for international students and promote the linkages between these experiences, the U.S. can achieve an interconnected education ecosystem to support accessible and flexible avenues by which international students flow to and within the U.S.”

AIRC Executive Director Brian Whalen stated, “These recommendations offer a distinctive perspective stemming from AIRC’s wide reach into all areas of international student enrollment.” Addressing the meaning and purpose of the recommendations, he added that they “articulate AIRC’s vision for how international student enrollment in the U.S. can grow to benefit students, institutions, and our society and culture. The recommendations will influence the broader conversations on U.S. international education policies and the development of a national strategy while providing a unified advocacy agenda for AIRC and its members.”

Chaired by Jing Luan, Provost Emeritus at the San Mateo Colleges of the Silicon Valley, the working group that developed the recommendations included members Cheryl Delk Le Good, EnglishUSA; Maria Dietrich, Northampton Community College; Daniel Harper, Christian Brothers University; and Michael Shaver, The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS).

AIRC will launch a promotional campaign to promote these recommendations and use them to shape its resource development and programming. 

Contact:

Brian Whalen, Executive Director, AIRC, brian.whalen@airc-education.org