By expanding institutional financial aid to international students, Dartmouth continues to make headway in its efforts to keep the campus diverse.
Although this year saw a 6.5 percent decrease in Dartmouth's active international population, the international student population remains diverse, representing 73 countries throughout the world, a number that has remained constant for several years.
Stephen Silver, director of the College's International Office, said there has recently been an influx of students from all of Asia -- specifically China, India, Hong Kong and Japan. International student representation from European countries remains high, as well. Traditionally, there has been a much smaller student representation from Africa and Latin America.
Dartmouth's patterns reflect a much broader trend throughout the United States. Seventy percent of all international student enrollment comes from Asia and Europe, with India, China, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan leading the list of countries of origin.
Silver credited Dartmouth's financial aid policy as a key factor in attracting international student enrollment. As opposed to many other academically-renowned institutions including Duke and the University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth offers a completely need-blind admissions policy for applicants from Canada and Mexico and is willing to provide full financial aid to those accepted international students from other countries who meet the requirements for full demonstrated need.
"The financial aid system was one of the main reasons why I chose to come here," said Chinese citizen Vivienne Wei '07. "Dartmouth offers more than a lot of U.S. institutions and certainly more than what's offered in other countries throughout the world."
The Admissions Office's recruitment efforts abroad have generally not been very strong, as many international students cite personal experiences rather than official contact with the school as the means through which they found out about Dartmouth.
"I was a mentor for a Dartmouth student studying abroad in Denmark," said Pernille Worsoe '04, "but until I began doing research, I hadn't even realized that the faculty [in my school] had a special exchange agreement with Dartmouth."
Kiyoe Hashimoto, assistant director of admissions, will visit Asia this week as the Admissions Office steps up its efforts in international recruitment.
"I would like to see more representation from underrepresented regions, including Africa, the Middle East and Latin America, so that they may offer different points of view to further enrich this campus," Silver said.
In addition to the College's Ivy League status, which speaks of its diverse academic courses, international students also cited the general small town atmosphere of Hanover as a reason for coming to Dartmouth.
Wei had some reservations about applying to universities located in large cities, worrying that she might have had trouble assimilating into the American culture. After arriving, she found that the slow pace of the small campus helped her make that transition.
The athletics offered at Dartmouth can also play a key role in attracting international students.
"After discussing [with my parents] hockey programs offered at other schools, Dartmouth offered, in my opinion, the best combination of academics and athletics," Canadian citizen Sean Samuel '07 said.
International students also seem to show considerable interest in the strong international program Dartmouth offers.
Worsoe heard of the strong government department and knew that she would learn most about international relations by going abroad. Likewise, once Wei heard of the outstanding off-campus programs at Dartmouth, she knew this school was a perfect match.
"It's important to keep in mind that international students are probably looking for the exact same things that U.S. students are," Silver said.
