The process of recruiting international students has some of the same processes that recruiting domestic students have. The Office of International Admissions and Recruitment looks for a market of students to recruit for the upcoming semester. This market mainly focuses on students who can afford to pay tuition. “We are looking for students that can afford it because they don’t get any more scholarships and they pay out-of-state tuition,” Patricia Trent, Executive Director for the Center of Global Engagement said.
International students are treated as out-of-state students when it comes to tuition and scholarships. With tuition being $39,000 a year for out-of-state students and international students not qualifying for federal financial aid, the office must make sure students can pay for at least one year of tuition before they can grant them admission to Longwood. This has caused about two-thirds of our international student population to be athletes according to Trent. “It’s back to about two-thirds are international student-athletes and honestly the reason is because student-athletes can get higher scholarships,” Trent said.
These students can come from many countries. Longwood has partnerships with other institutions in the UK, Netherlands, France, Poland, South Korea, and soon there will be one in Croatia. With these partnerships, Longwood essentially trades students with other institutions and allows those students to pay the same price that they would have paid for a semester here. “If you wanted to study in Plymouth, England, you could pay Longwood’s tuition and if you get any financial aid benefits you get that applied to it,” Trent said. “Then you go over there and all you’re paying for is room and board and your travel.”
Before these students can come to campus, they have to go through the visa process and there can be two types of visas granted to come to the US for education. There is the J-1 visa which is for students that are only staying here for one or two semesters and the F-1 visa which is granted to those who are looking to stay for their entire college career. After they establish their visa through the embassy of their country, they are registered into a database that tracks their movements while they attend school. “They come here and while they’re in that student status, every semester I have to register them and say that they’re back on campus,” Trent said.
Once the student is on campus the CGE helps them get adjusted by assisting with class registration, transportation, getting social security cards, driver's licenses, and other things that they wouldn’t be able to do on their own. They also have the Global Leaders student organization that helps them get accustomed to American life. The Senior Assistant of International Admissions and Student Support, Cheng Peng, advises this group. Global Leaders serve as mentors for international students once they are here. These students can be American students or other international students. “Of course, Global Leaders have their own activities on campus. They also help our office promote,” Peng said. They hold events and activities to get international students and domestic students to interact with each other and learn about different cultures.
