INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

MTSU is determined to remain a top destination for international students in the U.S.

We have a welcoming, friendly international student atmosphere where all students are respected, valued, and appreciated. Given these factors, we can expect to see continued growth in our international student numbers for years to come.

International students are returning to the United States after a significant drop during the pandemic. Open Doors 2022 data reveals that international students studying across the U.S. during the 2021–22 academic year supported more than 335,000 jobs and contributed $33.8 billion to the U.S. economy—a $5.5 billion increase in economic activity compared to the prior academic year. At the Tennessee District 4 state level, 855 international students contributed more than $28.6 million, which supported 282 jobs.

For the Fall 2022 semester alone, MTSU enrolled 167 new international students. This represented an increase of 9.15% from the previous fall intake. Saudi Arabia has consistently been a top sender of students to MTSU and currently contributes 115 international students. Displacing China, Nigeria represents the second-largest international student population with 52. This figure represents a 25% increase from the previous fall.

To compete for international students in a very competitive market, MTSU International Affairs has instituted a new comprehensive international student recruitment plan with a worldwide approach to recruiting. Through virtual fairs, on-site college fairs, international school visits, a network of international agents, webinars, institutional partnerships, and social media, MTSU has reached nearly 100,000 prospective students.

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In addition, in 2022, five professors representing four MTSU colleges joined the MTSU vice provost for international affairs, Robert Summers, in traveling to South America with a goal of boosting student and faculty educational partnerships online. With specialties ranging from Fermentation Science to Information Technology to Interior Design to Journalism to Social Work, faculty members spent two weeks in Argentina and Peru visiting with university peers abroad.

One of the most valuable, yet most difficult to quantify, contributions for international enrollments are the longterm bonds developed between U.S. students and students from around the globe, along with invaluable campus diversity enrichment. The greatest benefit, however, of our higher education system is the American value system that it inculcates, embracing the open exchange of ideas, critical inquiry, and freedom of expression. International students who come here for their educations take these values back to their countries, and the world is a better place for it.

Study abroad also has made a big comeback. During the last academic year, MTSU sent 265 of its students overseas. Thirty MTSU faculty-led programs took 221 students to 22 countries. And we offered a record level of scholarships and funding: more than $400,000 in 2021–22 alone! On average, each student received a $2,000 MTSU scholarship to support education abroad.

We can expect to see continued growth in our international student numbers for years to come.