Coming to America: Examining why international students choose to pursue a degree at Oklahoma State University

Abstract

Scope and Method of Study: The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that influenced the decision of international students to attend Oklahoma State University. The participants were fourteen international students who were currently enrolled at Oklahoma State University. Twelve of these students participated in an interview with the researcher and two of them submitted a response to a written protocol. The students were asked about their life history and their reasons for coming to the United States to pursue a degree at Oklahoma State University. The researcher looked for emerging themes from these interviews that yielded implications for the study of international students in higher education in the United States.

Findings and Conclusions: Findings revealed that there were fifteen primary factors that influenced the international student's decision to pursue a degree at Oklahoma State University. The top four factors that were mentioned by at least half of the participants were: 1) The value and reputation of an American degree 2) Campus environment 3) Tuition and 4) Internet research. The researcher concluded that while the United States continued to be highly competitive in attracting international students, the perception of the United States as the destination of choice for international students is slipping significantly. The researcher offered suggestions to American institutions of higher education and Oklahoma State University for the recruitment of international students that will possibly lead to continued diversity and internationalization at college campuses in the United States, and specifically at Oklahoma State University.