International Students (1-1)

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All around the world, there are international students at institutions of higher learning. The definition of an international student is "a postsecondary student from another country." The meaning of postsecondary is "after high school." Another phrase for international students is "foreign students." The word foreign means "of a different country or culture." Even so, some people don't like the word foreign, so they use the phrase "international students." For institutions of higher learning, they usually say "university," "college," or "school."

International students leave their home countries and go to school abroad. One meaning of the word abroad is "in a foreign place." By far, the country with the most students from abroad is the United States. Canada, Great Britain, and some European countries also have a lot of students from other countries. But more and more, students from around the world attend colleges and universities in the developing nations of Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Developing nations don't yet have a high level of industrialization or technology.

Why do high school and college graduates go to colleges and universities far from their homes? Undergraduates are postsecondary students without college degrees. Often, undergraduates want the experience of life in new cultures. Maybe they want to learn another language well, in school and in real life. Many older students want degrees in business, engineering, or technology. These subjects are not always available in their home countries. Some governments and companies send their best graduate students and workers to other countries for new knowledge and skills. And some students from expensive private schools at home save money through study abroad, especially in developing nations.


Why do institutions of higher learning want international students? Of course, students from other countries and cultures bring internationalism to the classroom or campus. They bring different languages, customs, ideas, and opinions from many places around the world. Usually, they study hard. Also, educational institutions need money. Tuition is the fee or charge for instruction, and private schools everywhere charge high tuition. One definition of citizens and immigrants is "legal members of a nation or country." International students are not citizens or immigrants, so they pay full tuition and fees to state or government schools. And all students away from home spend money for housing, food, recreation, and other things. For these reasons, many schools and groups of schools want students from other countries.

For various reasons, many high school and college graduates want or need to study abroad. For other reasons, many nations want or need students from other countries and cultures on their college and university campuses.