Marianthi Zikopoulos

Elinor G. Barber

The choice of U.S. colleges by foreign students studying for degrees full-time was examined. Responses were received from 1,065 students from 31 colleges. About 7 out of 10 of the students were male, 53.8% were undergraduates, and about 60% were self-supported. Almost half came from South or East Asia (49.2%), followed by Latin America (14%), Middle East (12%), Europe (11%), Africa (9%), North America (3.5%), and Oceania (1%). Findings include: 75% were satisfied with the schools they selected; for about 30% of the students, the costs of attending the school were higher than expected and recreational opportunities and relationships with professors and the community were somewhat disappointing; the main attraction of foreign study in the United States was the perceived high quality of education here; the most frequently used sources of information about U.S. schools were brochures and catalogs; other sources of information were friends, relatives, and government and private information agencies. Profiles for students from each geographic region include information on students' reasons for U.S. study, and applying to and selecting specific colleges. Appended are a list of participating colleges, instructions for administering the questionnaire on the campus, and the questionnaire. (SW)

Marianthi Zikopoulos

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