Asian Schools Draw More Locals

Due especially to economic concerns, many Asian-born students are choosing to attend universities in Asia rather than in the U.S. and other Western nations, according to an article published in the New York Times on Saturday.

“The schools in Singapore are world-class, they’re close by, and they’re a lot cheaper,” said Harvard student Michelle B. Nguyen ’13, who was born in Vietnam and attended high school in Singapore.

William R. Fitzsimmons ’67, dean of admissions and financial aid, noted the dramatic increase in applicants from China in particular.

At a mere 50 applicants a decade ago, application numbers from the world’s most populous country rose each year, peaking with the Class of 2012, which saw 484 applicants from China. This past year, 417 Chinese students bid for spots in the Class of 2013.

“Certainly after 10 years of such increases, one expects a levelling off,” Fitzimmons said of the 14 percent decrease. “And as attractive as American universities might be, China certainly is working a great deal to make its institutions more competitive.”

John P. Gobok ’12, who grew up in the Philippines, said that the economic recession has made it less feasible for students in his native country to study in America. “Asian students still want to come to the U.S., but because of the expense, they’re choosing to stay in Asia,” Gobok said. “It’s not because they want to, it’s because they have to.”

Fitzsimmons said that Harvard’s need-blind financial aid policy for all applicants has played a significant role in enticing international students.

“There is a very small number of other universities in the US that offer similar kinds of financial aid, so those that have financial aid for international students are a very attractive option. It allows us to be much more competitive,” Fitzsimmons said.

Having travelled to China and Vietnam to speak to prospective students last fall, Fitzsimmons affirmed Harvard’s desire to bring in “students from all regions of Asia.”

These recruiting trips have grown increasingly important as universities in Asia continue to draw more students from the region with scholarships and improving facilities. A report released by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in July showed that East Asia and the Pacific have become home to more and more of the world’s university students over the past decades. In 1970, the region claimed 14 percent of students, while almost half of all students studied in the United States and Western Europe. In 2007, nearly a third of university students could be found in East Asia and the Pacific compared with 23 percent in Western nations.

Despite the lower price and greater convenience of schools in his native Singapore, Colin Teo ’12 said he’s glad he decided to come to the U.S.

“I don’t think I would have gotten a worse education in Singapore than at Harvard, but I learn so much more at Harvard out of the classroom,” Teo said. “Getting to meet people from 60 different countries and living in a different society has really opened me up a lot—that’s something I never could have learned at home.”