Sunday, July 06, 2008

Who can afford a high quality US Education?

This from the Boston Globe:

Foreign students flock to the US
Surge in overseas applicants driven by weak dollar

The faltering US dollar, which has steadily lost value against major currencies around the world, has produced a silver lining for foreign students, and the American universities that recruit them.

With every dip in the exchange rate, the cost of college for many foreign students has dropped in kind, a discount that has contributed to a surge in demand for Boston-area colleges and universities, college administrators, consultants, and higher education specialists say.

"Everyone wants an American education, but for many families the cost has been prohibitive," said Marguerite Dennis, vice president for enrollment and international programs at Suffolk University, which attributes a sharp rise in international enrollment this fall to the exchange rate. "But now, the dollar has made coming here so much more attractive and realistic."

Widely considered the worldwide gold standard for higher education, American universities have suddenly emerged as a bargain for a growing number of international students, whose yen, rupees, and pounds go much further than they
used to. The influx is expected to reverse the declines in foreign student enrollment that followed the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks...

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