Although both the undergraduate and graduate schools do not participate in international outreach recruitment programs, UW-Madison continues to attract thousands of international students every year.
Kay Curtis, who works in the office of graduate school admissions, said although the graduate school does not recruit international students, she believes that the quality departments and faculty at UW-Madison attract overseas students.
'There are 130-some programs we have out there in the graduate school. If anyone would travel [to recruit] it would be the specific departments,' Curtis said.
Interim Dean of Students Lori Berquam said she believes students are recruited by word of mouth.
'People who have been here have a lot of pride,' said Berquam. 'They speak very highly about the university and this pride spills over onto others.'
Also contributing to the university's worldwide reputation are the two independent rankings of world universities published in 2004 by the Times of London and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. UW-Madison is ranked number 18.
According to the Office of Registrar, in Fall 2005, 1,467 undergraduate international students and 2,192 graduate students were enrolled. More international graduate students come to UW-Madison because the university provides a number of opportunities, such as teaching and research assistant internships, as well as governmental scholarships that are not available in foreign countries.
Out of the 575 international students that applied in Fall 2005, 402 ended up enrolling.
Undergraduate students often come to UW-Madison to gain a better education than is available to them at home.
'International students are very committed to getting a degree,' Berquam said. 'They have a strong appreciation for educational value that we do not see as much in domestic students. They take this opportunity very seriously.'
Jane Shepard, the senior advisor in the office of Undergraduate Admissions, said that many of the international applications she receives are outstanding with excellent grades, test scores and curricula. Shepard also said that international applicants are given the same weight as applications from domestic undergraduate applications. Furthermore, their grades are transferred to an American grading scale.
Post Sept. 11, both the undergraduate and graduate admissions continued to accept international students, yet many could not attend because they were unable to get a green card. The past few years this situation has improved and international students have had few problems attending UW-Madison.
In Fall 2005, 35 to 38 percent of international applicants were admitted into the university.
Shepard said that the majority of international students come from Asia, mainly countries such as South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Many students also come from Indonesia and Canada, forming 'quite a mix of people,' according to Curtis.
