Four Types of Indian and Chinese Students Aspiring to Study in the U.S.

Aug. 30, 2012 - PRLog -- NEW YORK –- Indian and Chinese students seeking to attend an American university differ by academic preparedness and financial resources, according to a new report “Not All International Students Are the Same: Understanding Segments, Mapping Behavior”  (http://www.wes.org/ewenr/12aug/feature.htm) from World Education Services (WES, http://www.wes.org/)--a New York-based non-profit with over 35 years of experience in international education and research.

The U.S.-bound international student populations of the two largest Asian countries appear to differ by socioeconomic background. While 60% of Chinese respondents had adequate financial resources to afford an overseas education, only 27% of Indian respondents did so. “The higher socio-economic status of Chinese applicants is also manifested in their previous overseas exposure: one out of four Chinese applying to schools in the U.S had lived, studied or worked abroad prior to their application. By contrast, only one out of 10 Indian respondents had previously spent time overseas.” the report says.

The report identified four distinct international student segments based on academic preparedness and financial resources: Strivers, Strugglers, Explorers and Highfliers.

Strivers form the traditional segment of students coming to the U.S. They are highly prepared for academic work and expect to receive financial aid from their host institution. This is the segment of graduate students seeking financial aid. In contrast, Explorers form an emerging segment of students who can cover tuition fees but are not fully prepared for college-level coursework. Of the Indian respondents, 46% were Strivers and 13% were Explorers as compared to 19% and 28% respectively among Chinese students.  

Highfliers are the most sought after as they are academically prepared and financially able. However, their attraction to a narrow circle of top-ranked institutions makes it difficult for lower ranked institutions to compete for them. Strugglers are less selective about their college choice, but they require additional pre- and post-enrollment assistance and have less access to financial resources. Only 14% of Indian respondents were Highfliers compared to as many as 32% of the Chinese applicants. Likewise, proportion of Strugglers among Indian students was higher with 27% as compared to 21% among Chinese.

“Nearly 70% of Indian students in the U.S. are enrolled in master’s level programs which correlate with the Strivers and Strugglers segment. It also indicates higher expectations of Indian students for financial assistantships from American institutions. At a time when foreign education is becoming more expensive due to currency devaluation, Indian students may find it even more difficult to get assistantships due to state budget cuts in public institutions. However, this should not discourage Indian students and they should consider a wider range of accredited institutions to find a better fit”, says Dr. Choudaha, director of WES Research and Advisory Services(http://www.wes.org/ras/), and author of the report.

                                                                       

About World Education Services (WES): World Education Services, Inc. (http://www.wes.org) is the largest non-profit credential evaluation service in the United States. WES has delivered over 750,000 credential evaluation reports to educational, business, and governmental institutions worldwide.

About WES Research & Advisory Services (RAS): WES Research & Advisory Services (http://www.wes.org/RAS) analyzes trends and issues in global education to advise education and government institutions on best practices and strategies in international enrollment management.