Introduction to Counseling International Students

Abstract

International students have a critical role in the internationalization of education. The export of education is a competitive process for attracting greater numbers of international students to educational programs in host countries and for the delivery of curriculum in “off-shore” programs. The United States leads the world in terms of the numbers of students involved in international education. Enrolment of international students in the U.S. peaked at more than 580,000 in 2001/02 and more than 154,000 American students studied abroad in 2000/01 (Chin, 2002). In Canada, enrolment of international students has fluctuated during the past 5 years, but has increased to more than 110,000 international students (Canadian Bureau of International Education (CBDE), 1999, 2002). Australia has experienced continued growth in international student numbers, with increases in enrolments both onshore and offshore. More than 188,000 international students were enrolled with Australian education providers in 2000 (Australian Education International, 2001) and those numbers currently approximate 200,000 (Bohm, Davis, Meares & Pearce, 2002). As educators consider target goals for international education, the United Kingdom provides an example where approximately 200,000 international students represent 12% of the entire student population at colleges and universities (CBIE, 1997, 2002).