Explaining the College Choice Decisions of International Students at a Regional University in the United States

Numerous institutions list hosting and recruiting international students as an important aspect of their internationalization mission. Reasons include the financial benefit to the institution and the local economy; job creation; recruitment of high-quality graduate assistants; increased diversity in the classroom and on campus; and creating international partnerships. However, new changes to immigration laws in the USA have had a negative impact on international college student enrollment. The purpose of this case study is to integrate the Hossler and Gallagher (1987) three-phase model of college student choice with the push and pull factors relating to how international students choose US colleges, to arrive at a descriptive understanding of how international students make their college choice decision.