University Advancement

Public Relations and Strategic Communications

NEWS RELEASE

Cal State Northridge Rises in Ranks as Host for International Students

(NORTHRIDGE, Calif., Dec. 5, 2006) -- Long a draw for students from abroad, Cal State Northridge raised its international profile even higher with the release in November of results from a national annual survey.

Open Doors 2006, an annual report on international educational exchange, records CSUN’s climb from sixth to second place among U.S. master’s level institutions hosting students from foreign countries.

Issued by the Institute of International Education (IIE), the survey ranks CSUN--with 1,693 international students--behind only San Francisco State University in a poll of the top 40 campuses in the master’s level category for the 2005-06 academic year.

During the 2004-05 academic year, CSUN was sixth in the national ranking, with 1,343 international students enrolled. In that survey, the second spot was held by San Jose State University, followed by Cal State Fullerton, Hawaii Pacific University and Rochester Institute of Technology.

Open Doors 2006 data shows that total national enrollments of foreign students stabilized in 2005-06, on the heels of a slight overall decline attributed to "real and perceived difficulties" in obtaining student visas, U.S. tuition hikes and competition from students coming from other English-speaking nations.

Inside Higher Ed, a national education publication, suggested that "a rebound is on the way," citing changes in recruitment practices and visa policies.

"I anticipate continuing modest increases in the number of international students enrolling at CSUN in the coming years, and at other CSU campuses as well," said Mack Johnson, associate vice president for Graduate Studies, Research and International Programs. "Northridge has an outstanding academic reputation in many foreign countries, and in Asian countries in particular."

Of the 40 schools indicated in the Open Doors report, ten are sister campuses in the California State University system. Along with Northridge and San Francisco State, those numbered among the top ten include Cal State Long Beach, Cal State Fullerton, and San Jose State. CSU East Bay, Cal State Los Angeles, Cal Poly Pomona, Fresno State and CSU San Bernardino recorded foreign student enrollments from 546 to 1,036.

Of CSUN’s 87 countries of origin for international students in fall 2006, Japan contributes the largest number, followed by South Korea, India and Taiwan.